Giving Compass' Take:
- A survey from the Women in Global Health network reveals that women, who make up the majority of the medical workforce, are insufficiently protected with PPE designed for men.
- What role can you play in supporting the development and distribution of effective PPE that meets the needs of healthcare workers?
- Read about the importance of prioritizing women and girls in COVID-19 recovery.
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Less than one in five female frontline health workers say protective clothing fits them properly, according to a survey from the Women in Global Health network.
Just 14 per cent of women surveyed globally reported that personal protective equipment (PPE) did what the name suggests – provided them protection from infection.
The report published in 19 November documents gendered challenges around PPE in the health sector. Surveying 892 women from more than 50 countries, it reveals pervasive inequities in PPE access, fit and design.
PPE is primarily designed for men and often fails to protect women, research has shown. While 70 per cent of the world’s health and care workers are women, they fill just 25 per cent of senior leadership roles.
“Women are 90 per cent of nurses and have been the vast majority of healthcare workers in patient facing roles in the pandemic,” the Women in Global Health (WGH) report says. “Therefore, if medical PPE is not fit for women, it is not fit for the majority of the health workforce.”
Read the full article about PPE at Eco-Business.