This package seeks to strengthen existing leadership development curricula for pre- and in-service health workers and managers through a suite of gender-transformative sessions, which challenge participants to identify and respond to unique considerations for women in leadership. Rather than expecting women to “lean in” to professions and organizations that have largely excluded them from leadership and senior roles, gender-transformative leadership addresses discrimination, bias, and inequities in the system (both formal and informal) so that women are included on an equal basis to men.
The tool was originally developed by Jhpiego Mozambique with providers and program planners, and has been adapted, piloted and refined in several low and middle-income countries. The standards are organized by different aspects of service delivery (e.g., facility readiness, clinical care, etc.). The toolkit aims to provide participants with knowledge and skills to provide high-quality, gender-sensitive, and transformative services to individuals and couples including females, males, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) clients.
The toolkit reflects numerous calls to action for equitable representation of women in global health decision-making. The strategies shared in the toolkit’s modules apply an intersectional lens and complement existing leadership curricula, providing tools to health care workers and managers to advance gender equality. The approach is particularly relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it can also be used long-term to spur greater inclusion of women’s voices in global health.