Croakey is closed for summer holidays and will resume publishing in the week of 15 January 2024. In the meantime, we are re-publishing some of our top articles from 2023.
This article was first published on Tuesday, July 4, 2023
Introduction by Croakey: In a week where a Nobel laureate’s claim of anti-male discrimination sparked discussions about sexism in science, the launch of Australia’s Women in Public Health network was both timely and heartening.
For the launch, founding WPH member Caterina Giorgi, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, took the helm at Croakey’s rotated Twitter account, @WePublicHealth, introducing fellow members, demonstrating the scope and impact of inequities, and mapping out three key steps for change.
Giorgi told Croakey that, during the week, 400 women had joined Women in Public Health, and 200 had completed the survey (which is still open) to shape the future of WPH.
See some of the discussions below.
Caterina Giorgi tweets:
Why the founding members have signed up
How will it work?
Why it’s needed
Globally women are a majority of the healthcare workforce, but are underrepresented in leadership roles.
In Australia women are also underrepresented in healthcare leadership.
Despite making up 75 percent of the (Australian) healthcare workforce, women are only 45 percent of public hospital board chairs, 39 percent of private hospital CEOs and 38 percent of state and federal chief medical or health officers.’
Source: @AWHLproject: Women in healthcare leadership
Women are also more likely to be paid less than their male counterparts, and people working in industries that have more women are more likely to be lower paid – resulting in a gender pay gap.
This inequity also exists in academia, including in editorial positions in journals.
And in the granting of awards and speaking opportunities in academic spaces – although as we saw at this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting – this can be disregarded, particularly among people who have never experienced this discrimination.
As a result of this, there are areas of research and women’s health which are under-researched, leading to inequities in health outcomes. 
Women bring different and unique qualities to leadership. Greater equity in health leadership benefits everyone, as we have seen since the emergence of COVID-19.
‘Countries governed by female leaders experienced much fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita & were more effective and rapid at flattening the epidemic’s curve, with lower peaks in daily deaths.’
Women in power: Female leadership and public health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic
Some ways ahead
Declaration: Croakey’s Editor-in-Chief Dr Melissa Sweet is a founding member of the group.
