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Preference: Women's Health

[Correspondence] Author gender in The Lancet journals

Despite substantial advances in recent decades, gender inequality persists in many scientific fields,1 including medicine2,3 and global health. In an upcoming theme issue on women in science, medicine, and global health,4 The Lancet will focus on helping to understand and remove women’s disadvantage in these fields. Nevertheless, dedicating a few words to women’s representation in The Lancet journals is worthwhile. Here, I present a snapshot of the gender of the authors who publish in The Lancet journals.

[Comment] Sexual and reproductive health and rights for all: an urgent need to change the narrative

The world has made remarkable progress since the 1974 World Population Conference in Bucharest and the 1984 International Conference on Population in Mexico. The link between population and development was affirmed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo with the adoption of the Programme of Action, which brought a sharper focus on women and introduced new concepts such as sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. ICPD also gave prominence to reproductive health and women’s empowerment.

[Comment] Addressing the unfinished agenda on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the SDG era

The autonomy and empowerment of women are essential not only for their own health and wellbeing but also for those of their families and communities and, ultimately, for sustainable development. Sexual and reproductive health are, in turn, fundamental for women’s full participation in society. Recognising this, in 1994 in Cairo, Egypt, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) formally recognised that reproductive rights were linked to human rights already protected under international law, created a definition of reproductive health that explicitly relied on the ability of individuals to decide if, and when, to reproduce, and compiled a list of essential elements of reproductive health care.

[Comment] The gendered system of academic publishing

Gender is a sociocultural and economic concept and an institutionalised system of social practices that translates into different experiences and uneven advantages for men and women at the individual, organisational, and societal levels.1 This system manifests as the persistent gender pay gap, endemic sexual harassment,2 and the proverbial glass ceiling limiting women’s representation and advancement in social and economic life. Academia, including academic publishing, is not immune to this gendered system of social practices.

[Perspectives] Monique Bégin: Canadian health icon

When, in 1976, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau offered Monique Bégin a post in his Cabinet, which would make her one of the first female ministers in the country’s history, she turned him down. The offer was for a junior ministry in charge of a newly independent status of women portfolio—a post that nevertheless came with no budget, no staff, and no department, and “made no sense” for advancing women’s status, she recalls. “Trudeau told me I am the only person on earth who refused to be a minister”, she says.

[Comment] Canada’s vision for global health and gender equality

A global shift is happening. I see it wherever I go—coffee shops to cabinet meetings to international conferences. We have achieved a critical mass of activists and allies around the world who are fighting for women’s rights. The message is clear: the world is ready to make real progress on gender equality, and improve the lives of women and girls.

[Review] Countdown to 2030: tracking progress towards universal coverage for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health

Building upon the successes of Countdown to 2015, Countdown to 2030 aims to support the monitoring and measurement of women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health in the 81 countries that account for 95% of maternal and 90% of all child deaths worldwide. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the rate of decline in prevalence of maternal and child mortality, stillbirths, and stunting among children younger than 5 years of age needs to accelerate considerably compared with progress since 2000.