Beyond Imposter Syndrome: A Systemic Approach to Promoting Gender Equity in Global Health Leadership

In honor of International Women's Day & Women’s History Month, join Alliance member Global Health Corps and Jamia Wilson, Executive Editor of Random House, to explore how an imposter syndrome reframe is key to advancing gender equity in global health leadership.

“Imposter syndrome puts the blame on individuals, without accounting for the historical and cultural contexts that are foundational to how it manifests in both women of color and white women. Imposter syndrome directs our view toward fixing women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.” - Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey, Harvard Business Review (February 2021)

As the pandemic presses into its third year, progress towards improving women’s health outcomes and rights is in jeopardy. And while women make up the majority of frontline healthcare workers and caregivers, they remain vastly underrepresented in decision making roles in global health. Cultivating individual women's skills and confidence to overcome imposter syndrome matters, but a singular focus on these efforts hasn't yielded enough progress. It's past time for a more systemic, networked approach.