The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting is underway in Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to January 24, 2025. WEF Davos 2025 is a global event that brings together senior government officials, leaders of international organisations, prominent business executives, and members of WEF communities. India is represented by its largest-ever delegation, comprising five union ministers, three chief ministers, several state ministers, and nearly 100 CEOs and leaders from various industries.
A key focus at Davos 2025 is the theme, “Investing in People.” The main agenda is addressing the gender gap, aiming to provide equal opportunities for men and women, whether in education, careers, or health.
Here is a rundown of what’s been happening and snippets from the impactful conversations unfolding at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.
Investing in women’s health
Anita Zaidi, President of Gender Equality at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, addressed a session at Davos, highlighting the lack of reliable data on women’s health. “Healthier women form the foundation of stronger families, productive workplaces and resilient economies, and yet profound gender gaps in research and scientific innovation continue to deny women the basic tools, treatments and services they need to remain healthy,” says Anita Zaidi.
A report by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute, shows that women live 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to men. Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, added that many of these health challenges are preventable. In 2020, nearly 800 women died every day from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes that could have been avoided. He stressed the urgent need to prioritise women’s health, which has long been overlooked in global health initiatives.
Address the decline of women’s autonomy
Women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare has faced increasing opposition, leading to a decline in their bodily autonomy. According to the World Health Organization, in 40% of countries where data is available, women’s control over their own bodies is declining. This trend is deeply concerning, as it shows a global regression in women’s rights and access to healthcare that many have fought for decades to secure. WEF says it is high time to prioritise women’s health as a fundamental human right, not a privilege.
The report by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), identifies five key actions to promote greater health equity for women:
- Count women: Invest in improved data collection to better understand the full extent of women’s health challenges.
- Study women: Fund research focused on women-specific health issues and the biological differences between genders.
- Care for women: Ensure that clinical guidelines reflect best practices tailored to the unique healthcare needs of women.
- Include all women: Address the health disparities that affect marginalised groups to achieve health equity.
- Invest in women: Allocate resources to fund innovative healthcare solutions and delivery models that prioritise women’s needs.
Invest in gender parity
The World Bank estimates that closing the gender gap in employment and entrepreneurship could boost global GDP by 20%. Despite this potential, no country has achieved full gender parity. “It’s quite embarrassing that we are having this conversation in 2025,” said Katherine Garrett-Cox, Chief Executive Officer at the Gulf International Bank, in a session at Davos 2025.
Anna Bjerde, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, discussed the slow progress made in achieving gender equality, especially in legislation. She pointed out that although many countries talk about equal rights, they still have a long way to go in making laws truly equal for every gender. However, the issue is not just about laws.
Bjerde highlighted that the real challenge lies in social norms, which are much harder to change. Bjerde’s comments remind us that achieving gender equality is a long-term effort that involves changing both laws and certain restrictive societal beliefs.
WEF Davos 2025: Investing towards parity in power
Women have made important progress in political representation in recent years. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, shared that her country increased the percentage of women in government from 16% to 33% in 2024, a notable leap. While this is encouraging, women still have a long way to go to achieve full parity in power.
Many cultural and social barriers make it difficult for women to reach leadership positions. Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Mexico’s Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, spoke about her country’s new president. She said, “She has to do double the work because it’s not naturally accepted—she has to do even better than men to demonstrate that it’s possible.” In many cultures, women in power face more scrutiny and must constantly prove themselves.
Catherine De Bolle, Europol’s first woman executive director, shared her experience from her time in Belgium’s police force. She said, “When I made a mistake, everyone remembered it. When a man did, nobody remembered.” This highlights the double standards women in power face, where their mistakes are more noticeable and criticised than men’s.
Tokenism and virtue-signalling holding back progress
Lutfey Siddiqi, a special envoy for Bangladesh’s interim government, believes that tokenism and virtue-signalling are partly responsible for the slow progress in gender equality. Tokenism occurs when companies or organisations make small, symbolic gestures to show they support gender equality, like promoting a few women to leadership positions. Still, they don’t make any real changes. Virtue-signalling occurs when companies publicly show support for a cause, like gender equality, just to appear good without taking meaningful action behind the scenes.
Siddiqi argues that companies often try to improve gender equality through top-down initiatives. This means leaders or managers make decisions or policies without involving everyone in the company. While these efforts might look good on paper, they don’t always result in real cultural change.
Instead, he suggests that companies focus on creating inclusive cultures from the ground up. In this way, everyone, from employees to managers, works together to make the company more equal and supportive of all genders. Change will be more genuine and lasting.
WEF Davos 2025: The final thoughts
The theme of WEF Davos 2025, “Investing in People,” is not just a one-time concept. We can no longer afford to ignore the systemic barriers that hold women back in health, employment, and leadership. Actual progress will only come when we prioritise genuine investment in all people. We have to ensure equal opportunities, access, and support. As the leaders who attended WEF Davos 2025 return to their countries and organisations, the real work begins. They must move beyond words and take action to invest in people.
Changeincontent perspective:
The discourse at Davos brings critical issues like gender parity to the forefront. However, one must not overlook the regional and cultural barriers that persist. In countries like India, linguistic and regional biases often intersect with gender challenges. They create compounded barriers. Actual progress demands addressing these intersecting issues alongside global initiatives. It is time to develop systems where inclusivity is ingrained—not as an afterthought but as a foundation for growth.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content. We broadly define inclusivity as media, policies, law, and history—encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and gender-queer individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
