Persons in charge of the presentations:
Alejandra Mora Mora, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women of the Organization of American States CIM-OAS
Anna Coates, Chief of the Office for Equity, Gender, and Cultural Diversity PAHO/WHO
Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director and co-founder of Women in Global Health WGH
Pilar Mazzetti Soler, Leader of the National Operations Command COVID-19. Former Minister of Health of Peru.
María del Pilar Garrido Gonzalo, Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy of Costa Rica
Delma Thomas, Minister for Social Development, Housing, and Community Empowerment of Grenada
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In Latin America and the Caribbean, over half of the doctors and more than 80% of nurses are women, the highest percentage throughout the world (IADB, 2019). As an extension of gender roles, nursing, geriatrics, and care services for dependent people are largely feminized sectors. However, women only occupy between 8% and 25% of executive positions in hospitals and just 22.9% of Ministers of Health in the Americas are women, and only one of the women. Currently, only 1 of the 34 Member States of the OAS has a woman as Head of State.
Likewise, evidence in the response to the current COVID-19 crisis shows that women are less represented in task forces, working groups, and political and scientific committees for pandemic response. The participation of women, their leadership, and the breadth of their experience and perspectives show that there are no gender-neutral policies and that the specific needs and interests of half the population must have their own voice, which is even more fundamental in managing this crisis.
Join us for an online conversation, hosted by the Inter-American Task Force on Women’s Leadership and Women in Global Health. We will be chatting with women leaders who are confronting the pandemic as well as experts in gender and health, to address the challenges and opportunities to women’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, making decisions and making a difference for inclusive and more effective mitigation.
Pursuant to OAS General Assembly Resolution, the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) serves as Technical Secretariat of the Task Force.