Feminist transformative leadership for health equity in the Asia Pacific region

Overview

Gender equality is central to achieving health and well-being for all. Despite global commitments, no country is on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, including goals on good health and gender equality. Polycrises and escalating anti-gender and anti-rights movements are further intensifying pressures on health systems, which are struggling to cope with resource constraints, rising health demands, and widening inequities. Addressing these complex challenges within and beyond health systems requires a fundamental shift in leadership principles, values, and practices, moving beyond gender identity. Transformative feminist leadership embodies a dynamic and inclusive approach that seeks to challenge and dismantle unequal power structures and entrenched gender inequalities within individuals and organisational cultures to promote health equity. As such, there is a renewed urgency to critically examine and identify best practices of successful feminist leadership and document transferable lessons that can be adapted to other contexts. This paper illustrates what transformative feminist leadership means and why it matters in different contexts in the Asia Pacific region, drawing on five interviews with feminist leaders from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Their insights offer valuable perspectives on transformative feminist leadership, challenging existing paradigms and advocating for systemic change to advance health equity in the region. The paper concludes by outlining steps to move towards institutionalising leadership based on transformative and feminist values to ensure sustainability and social change.