When I lie awake thinking of women and their health globally, I remind myself that the world has made a lot of progress in recent years. We know more, and we are getting better at applying our knowledge. At providing young girls a good start in life. And there has been an upsurge in high-level political will evidence most recently in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. Use of services, especially those for sexual and reproductive health, has increased in some countries.
Two important factors that influence women’s health viz. school enrolment rates for girls and greater political participation of women have risen in many parts of the world. But we are not there yet. In 2015, in too many countries, “women’s empowerment” remains a pipedream little more than a rhetorical flourish added to a politician’s speech. Too many women are still…
