Whether they were a housewife or a prime minister, women played a crucial role in preserving public health during the Corona pandemic, which requires governments to adopt strategies that ensure the participation of women on a larger scale and more effectively in addressing the upcoming challenges.

In a report published by the American "ForeignPolicy" magazine, writers Louis Cowam and Rachel Vogelstein say that decision-makers do not usually view women as an influencing factor in the face of crises, nor do they rely much on their role in responding to urgent problems. During the pandemic, it proved their pivotal position and ability to deal with crises.

One of them was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was re-elected last October under her successful management of the pandemic.

However, the proportion of women in government positions and in the global health system is still very low, according to the authors.

Government officials and health systems often overlook the crucial role of women in the health field and their rapid response in times of crisis, despite the fact that they represent 70% of health care and social counseling workers worldwide.

And through both paid and unpaid work, women contribute more than $ 3 trillion annually to the global health sector.

The authors believe that governments should ensure better working conditions and provide fair compensation to women who work and volunteer in the health field. Of the 3 trillion dollars that women contribute to health care at a global level annually, the proportion of unpaid work is about 50%.

Governments must guarantee better working conditions and provide fair compensation to women workers and volunteers in the health field (Pixels)

Effective initiatives

The two authors add that the role of women as a model for success in the health field is clearly evident through their contribution to adopting best home health practices, such as supporting the turnout of vaccination campaigns and contributing to combating the spread of diseases.

In this context, some women's initiatives in various countries, such as the Women's Development Army in Ethiopia, and the Voluntary Health Guides Program (FCHV) in Nepal, have helped create social networks of volunteer women who have played the role of linking the governmental health systems And communities, and contributed to the dissemination of essential health information and the improvement of services.

Between 1991 and 2001, Nepal witnessed an 80% decrease in the maternal mortality rate after the launch of the Health Guides Program.

Likewise, the efforts of the Ethiopian Development Army have contributed to a decrease in the mortality rate of children under five years of age by 69% by the year 2013, two years before the deadline set in advance in the "Millennium Development Goals" of the United Nations.

Digital tools aimed at women

Women play important roles in the family when going through any health crisis, such as after the outbreak of the Coronavirus, as women are often the first to pay attention to the problem and make the initial decisions regarding response, treatment and reporting.

Therefore, the authors believe that strategies for pandemic preparedness and transmission control should include financing, developing and distributing digital tools to housewives, rather than waiting for voluntary reporting of disease or distress calls.

These programs for women, whether they are a health worker or a housewife, will help reduce the burden on health systems through home treatment for non-serious cases, and enhance efforts to early detection, control and prevention of disease.

According to the authors, women leaders have dealt with the pandemic in a way that takes into account gender equality more than other countries, which helped them better manage the crisis.