'Leading questions' series #2 - Gender-related leadership gaps and inequities in cancer control

'Leading questions' series #2 - Gender-related leadership gaps and inequities in cancer control

A conversation with Miriam Mutebi and Chemtai Mungo

Cancer has a disproportionate impact on the lives and livelihoods of women. For instance, close to two-thirds of all cancer cases among adults under the age of 50 occur in women and the downstream effects that this situation creates for societies at large in terms of family cohesion, childcare and loss of productivity are often underappreciated. 

Concurrently, there is an imbalance in the representation of women at the highest decision-making level of global health institutions and Ministries of Health, as well as across leadership roles in oncology. ​​​Women hold only 25% of senior roles in the global health and care workforce, only 27% of ministers of health worldwide are women and positions of power in oncology are still male-dominated. 

Drawing on the experiences of two leaders in cancer control, this dialogue provided a timely opportunity to explore the intersections between the unequal burden of cancer on women and their underrepresentation in the spaces of influence. 

Recording

Related article and resources

• Delivered by women, led by men: A gender and equity analysis of the global health and social workforce - WHO 2019
• The gender pay gap in the health and care sector: A global analysis in the time of COVID-19 - WHO 2022
• Gender equal health and workforce initiative
• The gender pay gap is wider than you thought - ThinkGlobalHealth 2022
• Women and cancer: a society issue rather than a personal problem - Ophira Ginsburg, IARC, on ESMO Daily Reporter 2021
• Capturing the burden of cancer for women using a feminist approach - RTI International 2021
• ESMO W40 Observatory Women in Oncology 

Guest speakers

Miriam Mutebi - Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital (Kenya), President Elect, African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), and Board member, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) 

Chemtai Mungo - Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of North Carolina (USA), and UICC Young Leader 2021-2022