Gender myths in global health – Authors' reply
Authors: Zohray Talib, Katherine States Burke, Michele Barry
Journal: The Lancet Global Health (2017)

We thank Sarah Hawkes and Kent Buse for their remarks on our Comment.1Talib Z Burke KS Barry M Women leaders in global health.Lancet Glob Health. 2017; 5: e565-e566Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (28) Google Scholar They are correct in saying that men in post-transition countries bear a greater global burden of disease and live shorter lives than that of women. However, the reverse is true in the poorest of countries where, for example, maternal mortality remains very high.2World BankWorld development report 2012: gender equality and development.https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2012/Resources/7778105-1299699968583/7786210-1315936222006/Complete-Report.pdfDate: 2012Google Scholar Moreover, although women live longer, they tend to have more debilitating chronic conditions, and self-reported health is worse in women worldwide.3Boerma T Hosseinpoor AR Verdes E Chatterji S A global assessment of the gender gap in self-reported health with survey data from 59 countries.BMC Public Health. 2016; 16: 675Crossref PubMed Scopus (105) Google Scholar, 4Rieker PP Bird CE Rethinking gender differences in health: why we need to integrate social and biological perspectives.J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005; 60: 40-47Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Our statement on the burden of disease also reflects the disproportionate social burden women have as caregivers.5Berg JA Woods NF Global women's health: a spotlight on caregiving.Nurs Clin North Am. 2009; 44: 375-384Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (35) Google Scholar Even for diseases that affect men or boys, it is often women who are the caregivers. The Women Leaders in Global Health conference, to be held on Oct 12, 2017, at Stanford University, CA, USA, will be an opportunity to continue this discourse on gender parity, particularly as it relates to upward mobility for women in the field of global health.5Berg JA Woods NF Global women's health: a spotlight on caregiving.Nurs Clin North Am. 2009; 44: 375-384Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (35) Google Scholar We declare no competing interests. Women leaders in global healthIt is disappointing and rather ironic to note the lack of gender parity in leadership positions in the field of global health. Women carry a disproportionate burden of disease, comprise a large portion of the global health workforce, and in many leading universities make up the majority of global health students, even up to 84% as reported by one university.1,2 Yet, among the top 50 universities in the USA, women hold just over a third of global health faculty positions and a quarter of directorships in global health centres. Full-Text PDF Open AccessGender myths in global healthWe commend The Lancet Global Health and in particular Zohray Talib and colleagues (June, 2017)1 for drawing attention to the paucity of women leaders in global health and the agenda they advance to achieve gender equality. Nonetheless, the authors lead with a persistent “gender myth”2 when they claim that “women carry a disproportionate burden of disease”. Full-Text PDF Open Access