Reaffirming Our Commitment to Gender-Intentional Digital Health

By Tara Nutley

The recent executive orders of the US Government to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs place women at greater risk of suffering inequity and violence. The impact of gender norms and constructs on women’s safety and health outcomes has been empirically defined and measured, and millions of women continue to face significant barriers when seeking essential healthcare, treatment, and support. The most underserved group comprises the poorest and least educated women. It is imperative that we continue to consider gender in our health programming and policy, including in digital health.??

Digital transformation of health can help improve access to health services and health outcomes. More than 70% of countries have a digital health strategy with scaled digital health programs underway in every region. The global digital health market is expected to grow at a rate of 22% (in USD) between 2024 and 2030 with an expected revenue of $809.2 billion in 2030.?

However, restrictive gender norms and power dynamics limit the benefits of digital technology on women’s health and can even harm it. Additionally, women often lack access to health technology due to infrastructure gaps, digital literacy barriers, and systemic biases in technology design. These challenges make it difficult for women to fully benefit from digital health advancements. At the same time, digital technology can expose women to new risks, such as technology-facilitated violence against women.?

Taking a gender-intentional approach to digital health can equalize the benefits of digital transformation to improve health outcomes for women and their children. These benefits have potential additional effects on improved economic development as healthier women are more able to participate in local economies.?

health.enabled is committed to building a future where technology enables health and well-being for all people. We are committed to strengthening health and technology ecosystems to achieve health equity and impact. Collaboration and co-design are now more important than ever to build sustainable health systems where women are prioritized and programs are structured to advance gender equity.?

We must demand inclusive research, equitable digital health design, and technology that serves everyone. We must advocate for diverse leadership and investment in gender-responsive digital health solutions. We also need to ensure AI and health data reflect the needs of all populations.

Digital health equity is not a niche issue—it’s a necessity. Let’s work together to make digital health work for everyone.?

Visit our website for gender-intentional resources to assist in this call to action. These include:

• Gender-Intentional Digital Health Intervention & Enablers: A Rapid Guide for Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring?
• Technical Brief: Gender and digital health information in immunization programming
• Effective Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the Prevention of and Response to Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) Against Women and Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Landscape Review, Framework, and Call to Action
• Addressing gender and Women’s empowerment in mHealth for MNCH: An Analytical Framework?