Why Women’s Health and Nutrition?
Beena and Jamna at their family compound in Pakistan. © Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/ Asad Zaidi
Poor health and malnutrition prevent one billion women and girls from reaching their full potential.
When women and girls lack access to the health services and healthy diets they need to thrive, they face devastating consequences.
Malnourished girls are less likely to continue their education and earn an income as adults. Women face a higher risk of life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Today, more than one billion women and girls lack access to the healthy, nutritious diets they need to achieve basic good health—let alone their full potential. 1 Most of them live in low-income countries and communities.
Sapna prepares a meal in Bangladesh. © Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/ Prashant Panjiar
Globally, women spend 25% more of their life in poor health compared to men.
These gaps in health and wellness impact the quality of life for women and girls and limit their ability to earn an income for themselves and their families. 2 This is a problem rooted in gender inequality.
Across the world, the gender nutrition gap is worsening—women and girls are 50% more likely to suffer from malnutrition than boys and men. 3
Tasleem Mondy carries her 18-month-old son, Mohammed in Pakistan. © UNICEF/ UNI59416/ Ramoneda
Women’s health and nutrition has long been overlooked and underfunded.
In the face of global crises—humanitarian disasters, war, and climate change—women and girls suffer the worst impacts of poor health and malnutrition. Yet global nutrition accounts for less than 1% of global foreign aid. 4
Around the world, powerful women are living in overpowering circumstances.
A mother and her daughter visit a clinic in Bangladesh. © Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/ Prashant Panjiar
Together, we have the power to change this.
Every woman and girl has a right to good health, no matter where she lives.
Join the WTA Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in standing up for women’s health and nutrition. Together, we can show the world how healthy women change the game.
“Throughout my life, tennis has given me a pathway to pursue my dreams, and I know firsthand how important it is to have access to the right healthcare and nutrition. I am proud to shine a light on women’s health and nutrition in the hopes that all women can reach their full power and potential.”
— Caroline Wozniacki,
Former WTA World No.1 champion, and mother of two