Kearney Index Highlights Persistent Gender Equity Gap in Women's Health Investment

Event summary

  • Kearney, UNFPA, and the HBA launched the '[w]Health Healthcare and Life Sciences Index' to track gender-responsive practices across healthcare value chains.
  • The Index assesses organizations across six levers: public health, medical education, R&D, care delivery, investment, and data.
  • Consumer health leads in maturity (55%), while investment lags significantly (30%), with less than 25% of funds applying a gender-lens strategy.
  • The Index, initially launched at Davos in 2024, analyzes data from hundreds of organizations across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

The big picture

The launch of the [w]Health Index underscores the growing recognition of gender inequities within the healthcare sector and the increasing pressure on organizations to address them. While consumer health is leading the charge, the significant gap in investment maturity suggests a systemic issue requiring broader industry commitment and potentially, regulatory intervention. The Index's success hinges on its ability to translate awareness into tangible action and drive measurable progress across the value chain.

What we're watching

Investment Strategy
Whether the Index will spur a meaningful shift in investment practices, particularly within the healthcare sector, remains to be seen, given the current low adoption of gender-lens strategies.
Regulatory Scrutiny
Increased public awareness and the Index's transparency could draw regulatory scrutiny towards companies lagging in gender equity, potentially impacting investment flows and valuations.
Data Integration
The Index's reliance on self-reported data raises questions about the accuracy and comparability of assessments; improved data standardization and verification will be crucial for the Index's long-term credibility.

Related topics

ESG