Women make up 70% of the total health and social care workforce and an even larger share of the nursing and midwifery profession, yet women only comprise 25% of health system leadership roles.

This report draws from a review of existing literature, a survey of 2,537 nurses and nurse-midwives from 117 countries, and eight key informant interviews of nurse leaders to provide an in-depth analysis of the gender-related barriers to and facilitators of nurse leadership. The report derives from that analysis a set of recommendations for policymakers and implementers at the global, national, and institutional levels to accelerate strengthening nursing leadership and gender equality in the global nursing workforce.