Prioritizing Women: Investing in Maternal and Child Health

There is no simple solution or singular approach to gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. But Anita Zaidi, President of the Gender Equality Division at the Gates Foundation knows that when women and girls can prioritize their own health and well-being, and be leaders in their societies, everyone benefits. In a piece for Harvard Public Health, Dr. Zaidi called for women\'s health to be a priority, \"Systemic negligence-including the lack of effective treatments, poor care delivery, and the overall dearth of scientific research that centers women's health-has driven gender disparities in health outcomes.\"\r\n\r\nThrough her work at the Gender Equality Division, the Gates Foundation has invested in efforts that advance women\'s economic empowerment, improve and protect women's health and bodily autonomy, increase child survival and resilience, and more. Previously, Dr. Zaidi spent 30 years as a pediatrician and was Chair of Pediatrics and Child Health at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, where she worked to reduce child mortality through the prevention and treatment of newborn illnesses and vaccine-preventable diseases.