Today, we’d like to celebrate the incredible work being done in our country to promote and fight for gender-based health equity. However, this work is far from finished and there is still so much more to do. For instance, Canada is 30th out of 146 countries when it comes to the global gender gap index. While this statistic may not seem immediately harrowing, it still highlights the persistent and systemic barriers against gender equity in the country that require immediate correction. Joining us today are two big players in the fight for gender-based health equity in Canada, Mike Casia and Sharlene Rutherford. Mike is the president and MD of Organon Canada, a global healthcare company focused on women’s health that works very closely with Sharlene and her organizations, the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation and the Women’s Health Collective Canada, which are centred around the same concerns. Our conversation tackles gender equity and health, why women’s health cannot be ignored, the consequences of villainizing conversations around women’s health, and the common health inequalities that are prevalent in Canada today. Mike and Sharlene also graciously explain the great work that their organizations are doing, the various partnerships that they’re involved in to drive the gender-based health movement forward, and what employers and everyday citizens can do to support gender and health equality, plus so much more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing Mike and Sharlene and today’s topic: Gender Equity and Health.
• How and why Sharlene became so passionate about gender equality and health equity. 
• Why Mike chose to be a leader in the fight for women’s health. 
• Where health fits into the gender equality conversation, and why it matters. 
• The consequences of making women’s issues taboo. 
• Taking a closer look at the common health inequities that women in Canada face. 
• Why women’s health needs to be normalized and become part of our everyday speech.
• The work that Mike and Sharlene’s organizations are doing to promote health equity.
• What employers and the general public can do to support gender and health equality. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Mike Casia on LinkedIn 

Sharlene Rutherford on LinkedIn

Organon Canada  

Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation 

Alberta Women’s Health Foundation 

Women’s Health Collective Canada

‘Global Gender Gap Report 2023’ 

‘Surveying the Silence’

Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion

Leader Talks with Anne-Marie Pham