Women represent around two-thirds of the world’s health professionals and three-quarters of unpaid work, according to a WHO study that reveals a “negative impact on women”.
According to the WHO study, cited by the Spanish agency EFE, the disparity between men and women in the area of health is based on the lack of financing of health systems and leads to “a vicious circle of unpaid care” that “reduces the participation of women in salary markets”.
The institution estimates that women represent 67% of the workforce in the health sector and that they carry out around 76% of unpaid care.
“The devaluation of care, a job carried out mainly by women, has a negative impact on wages, working conditions, productivity and the economic value of the sector”, highlights the organization.
According to the WHO, this “negative impact” on global health contributes to the slow progress of universal health coverage – in which all individuals and communities receive the health services they need – which is still not available to more than half of the population worldwide (around 4.5 billion people).
To mitigate the problem, the UN health agency recommends different policies to improve working conditions in all areas of health, “especially those with a strong female presence”.