GHV Quarterly Newsletter - October 2024
Global Health Visions
Healthy People. Healthy Planet. https://linktr.ee/globalhealthvisions
Dear friends, welcome to our latest edition of the GHV Newsletter! In recognition of International Day of Care & Support on October 29th, this quarter’s newsletter will focus on the care economy. Be sure to register for our upcoming webinar with experts from USAID, Equimundo, and Moms First; read articles by members of our Gender Empowerment Team about the impact of childcare in Kenya and globally; check out this month’s team spotlights; and more. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you for being part of our community!
Warm regards, The GHV Team
GHV Webinar
Systems Change for Childcare
A Triple Win for Families, Children, and Economies
In recognition of the second annual International Day of Care and Support, please join us for a webinar on how global systems of childcare are evolving to benefit society. We’ll discuss how quality childcare contributes to dignified work for childcare workers, positive outcomes for families, and improved development outcomes for children – all of which drive positive social and economic change.
Our distinguished speakers, including USAID 's Bama Athreya , Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice CEO Gary Barker, PhD , and leading activist and Moms First CEO Reshma Saujani , will bring their deep expertise and insights on the intersection of gender equality, care policy, and economic security. Susannah E Canfield Hurd, MPH , chief strategy officer at GHV, will moderate the discussion with issue framing from Anna Abelson, MSPH , care expert and GHV engagement manager.
The Triple Dividend
How Investing in Childcare Benefits Women,
Children, and Economies
By Anna Abelson
Childcare is not just a personal or family issue; it is a global economic challenge that disproportionately affects women and low-income countries. Around the world, women take on most of the unpaid care work, limiting their opportunities to engage in paid employment and public life. This disproportionate impact is particularly pronounced when they become mothers. Defined as the "motherhood penalty," research shows that across 134 countries, on average 24% of women leave the labor force within the first year after having a child. The impact is long-term: after ten years, 15% of women are still absent. And the phenomenon is global – the motherhood penalty accounts for 80% of the gap in labor-force participation between men and women in high-income countries. (The Economist, 2024).
Team Spotlight
Anna Abelson
Meet Anna Abelson, MSPH , an engagement manager on the Gender Equality Team at GHV. Anna’s work focuses on supporting the Women’s Economic Empowerment team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she specializes in strategy, data, and evidence. Her approach always centers women as the experts of their own lives, ensuring they’re at the heart of every project.
Advancing Gender Equality for Women, Families & the Economy in Kenya
In the lead up to the second annual International Day of Care and Support, we at GHV are reflecting on the care economy and efforts made globally to address the complex economic and social issues related to care. Globally, women perform more than 75% of unpaid care work, which amounts to about 3.2 times more than men. In lower-income households, the burden is even greater, often exacerbated by limited access to essential services like clean water, healthcare, and education. In Kenya, women and girls shoulder an even more disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, spending four to five hours a day on these tasks compared to just one hour for men.
Team Spotlight
Mehreen Shahid
Meet Mehreen Shahid , one of our senior advisors here at GHV. With more than 15 years of experience in public health, education, and social impact, she’s worked on everything from cholera control to maternal and child health. Mehreen also founded Safe Delivery Safe Mother (SDSM), an incredible organization that provides essential maternal and reproductive healthcare services, along with disaster management response for underserved communities in Pakistan.
GHV in the Community
We are thrilled to announce that Susannah Hurd, GHV’s Chief Strategy Officer, has been invited to serve on the Evaluation Panel for Action for Women’s Health, a $250 million open call launched by Pivotal. The open call will fund organizations united by their work to improve the mental and physical health of women across life stages, including community-informed organizations who have deep lived-experience of the issues they work on.
Upcoming Days and Events