While undeniable progress has been made in global health over the past few decades, inequalities between men and women persist, particularly in terms of health.

Recent epidemics, as well as structural challenges related to health systems, serve as a reminder that health issues are never neutral: they are embedded in social, economic and cultural relationships that affect women, men and gender minorities differently.
In many contexts, women face structural barriers to accessing health services: restrictive social norms, heavy domestic burdens, economic dependence, gender-based violence. Men, for their part, may face other social determinants: masculine norms that discourage them from seeking care, increased exposure to certain occupational risks, or risky behaviours encouraged by certain representations of masculinity. The research community is still struggling with this issue: 60% of drugs are tested in clinical trials where women are under-represented, while most of these trials do not analyse gender differences.

In light of these findings, the systematic integration of a gender perspective into global health policies and programmes is no longer an option but a necessity.

So how can this be put into practice in the field? How can it be brought more directly to international forums for better consideration by decision-makers?

With the end of 2025 marked by numerous international highlights related to global health and the fight for gender equality, such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November to 10 December), the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and World AIDS Day on 1 December, this event provided an opportunity to address issues related to gender mainstreaming in global health policies.

Watch the replay of this programme from 4 December 2025, structured around two themes:

• Access to healthcare: what are the gender-related barriers and how can they be removed?
• Gender and quality of care: a differentiated experience.