Health and Healthcare Systems

3 ways companies can address women’s needs and advance progress for everyone

Gender equity should be prioritized at every stage of the innovation process by including the perspectives and needs of women and girls.

Gender equity should be prioritized at every stage of the innovation process by including the perspectives and needs of women and girls. Image: Getty Images/Cecilie_Arcurs

Nigina Muntean
Chief, Innovation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
This article is part of: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
  • Science and technology have enormous potential to improve people’s lives, but the needs of women are often sidelined when innovations are conceived and brought to market.
  • Women and girls should be top of mind at every stage of the innovation process – from research and development to discovery, design and financing.
  • By prioritizing gender equity, we can build solutions that address the needs of women and girls, and advance progress for all.

Investing in technology and innovations that prioritize gender equity can boost a company’s bottom line and transform the lives of women and girls around the world. But in a world designed for men, the safety, health and wellbeing of women are often overlooked. The consequences range from inconvenient to downright fatal.

Have you read?

Women are 73% more likely to be injured in car collisions because auto safety systems are designed for male bodies. The first female crash test dummy was introduced just two years ago.

Better healthcare also continues to elude women because they are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. On average, women wait four years longer than men to be diagnosed, and they are nearly twice as likely to experience adverse reactions to medications.

When it comes to emerging technology, some artificial intelligence (AI) systems that use machine learning can pose safety risks for women's health and wellbeing and reinforce existing gender stereotypes. It is estimated that 85% of AI projects are biased because of the data or algorithms used, or because of biases in the teams responsible for managing them.

By prioritizing the needs of women and girls early on, we can build smart, sustainable solutions that advance progress for everyone.

Closing gender equity gaps

In 2023, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, established the Equity 2030 Alliance to bring together leaders from across business, academia and government to focus on developing and amplifying gender-equitable solutions around the world.

Progress made to date by Equity 2030 Alliance.
Image: Equity 2030 Alliance: Collective Impact Report 2024 and Beyond

With over 100 members, experts and champions committed to closing gender equity gaps, the alliance is galvanizing collective action to normalize gender equity in science and technology. From its work thus far, three key themes have emerged:

1. Equity by design belongs at the core of business strategy

Gender equity in design drives innovation and profitability.

Integrating gender equity throughout the product design cycle can reshape how businesses interact with new and diverse customer bases, fostering trust and deeper connections.

2. Build sustainable accountability with measurable goals

Lasting change doesn’t happen overnight.

Championing equity by design means embracing measurable targets that help track progress and demonstrate impact. Actions speak louder than words, and data give those actions credibility.

3. Leverage purpose for profit

Filling a gap in the market can generate substantial returns.

Addressing gender equity in technology and science is not only health-saving and lifesaving, it’s a smart investment.

Advancing gender equity in health could add trillions to global GDP. But only 1% of global research and development funding goes to female-specific health conditions beyond cancers. This imbalance presents a significant opportunity to step up investment in women’s health.

Consider also the $1.7 trillion gender gap in financing for small enterprises run by women. This represents an opportunity for innovative financial solutions to empower underserved women and women-led businesses in developing markets.

Collaboration: The multiplier effect

Bridging the gap in women-centric solutions will require more collaboration and sustained leadership from the public and private sectors to advance inclusive research and development.

Through smart partnerships, targeted investments and measurable action, we can lay the foundation for a future where gender equity is not just a goal but a lived reality for all.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Gender Equality

Related topics:
Health and Healthcare SystemsEquity, Diversity and InclusionEconomic Growth
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Women's Health is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

4:21

This Malaysian doctor left her practice to help those afflicted by war and disaster

Climate adaptation, digital healthcare and antimicrobial resistance: Healthcare highlights from my week at Davos

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2025 World Economic Forum