Women's World: Equity By Design

Sport is one of the most popular forms of pastime and entertainment globally, for both men and women. Yet when it comes to the designs of the kit and the rules of the games, women are often an afterthought.

In this episode, we speak to Karen Korellis Reuther from Harvard Graduate School of Design; Judith Clarke, the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Health Equity Officer for Stony Brook University, and former Olympian; Dr Nonhlanhla Mkumbuzi, physiotherapist, researcher and lecturer of sport, exercise and rehabilitation at Northumbria University; and Claire Rafferty, former England footballer. From their lived experiences and advocacy to inclusive speech, research, and design, they reveal how progress continues to be made in sport.

Women with disabilities face a double discrimination: excluded for both their gender and their disability. Too often, their needs are overlooked – in healthcare, education, technology and employment. But far from being passive victims of inequality, they are leading the charge for change, showing that disability can be a catalyst for innovation.

In this episode, we speak to Debra Ruh, founder of Ruh Global Impact and the Billion Strong movement; Ornela De Vinyle Nzouegou, president of Vessels for Development; and Kartik Sawhney, founder of the Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities. From global networks and advocacy to inclusive menstrual health tools and cutting-edge technology, they reveal how lived experience drives solutions that benefit everyone.

Plus, we hear from Dr Nigina Muntean of the UNFPA and Lalita Taylor, Executive Producer of EDI programmes at CoStar National R&D, who explain why inclusion is not just fair, but is the foundation of smarter, more creative design.

Together, our guests show us that inclusion is achievable. Placing people with disabilities at the heart of innovation leads to progress for all.

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Technology and digital developments like Artificial Intelligence are undoubtedly changing the world… but whose world? Did they simply forget about women?

In this episode, we explore how and why gender bias appears to be wired into technology design and is now being built into AI. We consider what this means for women, and how individuals and organisations are attempting to reverse the trend. How was it even possible that AI tools reinforcing gender role stereotypes were released without thought? And that a credit rating algorithm automatically favours men over women? Issues such as these highlight a crisis in representation. They adversely impact women’s opportunities, health and life experiences.

We speak to Professor Londa Schiebinger, Professor of History of Science at Stanford University, Marija Butkovic from Women of Wearables and TB Bardlavens, from Product Equity at Adobe about their work to expose and address these biases. Can we see a future where innovation, ethics and social equality combine to create fair representation and impact in technology development?

Research and technology can help close the gender gap. Yet there’s a major barrier: money. Women-focused solutions are often dismissed as ‘niche’, receiving just 4% of venture capital investments.

In this episode, we speak to Anouk Petersen of the McKinsey Health Institute, Cristina Ljungberg from The Case For Her and Mariam Torosyan of Safe YOU. They are each working to fund and develop technological or medical solutions that are transforming girls’ and women’s lives. Whether it’s reusable menstrual pads that give girls in developing nations freedom and dignity, an app that provides urgent support to victims of domestic violence, or endometriosis treatment, millions of women can benefit.

Anouk, Cristina and Mariam explain the problems female-centred technology startups face in securing investment in a male-dominated space, what needs to change, and their hopes for the future.

Imagine walking into a doctor’s office with searing pain and asking for help. Instead of being treated, you are told it is just anxiety. Imagine waiting years for a diagnosis, only to be told it’s probably just stress. Unfortunately, many women do not have to imagine this – it is their lived experience when accessing healthcare. All over the world, women are routinely taken less seriously in the doctor’s office than their male counterparts, and are more likely to be diagnosed later than men. This is known as medical misogyny.

In this episode, we speak to Maya Dusenbery, a journalist and author who explains why there is a trust gap between doctors and female patients; Dr Ingrid Briggiler, a gynecologist and obstetrician who is hoping to give women better access to care through her company Nume, and Paula Bellostas-Muguerza, the global head of healthcare and life sciences at Kearney and the founder of [w]Health, who explains why women are not represented equally in medical research.

Plus we hear from Dr Nigina Muntean of the UNFPA and Lalita Taylor, Executive Producer of EDI programmes at CoStar National R&D, who discuss why the medical gender gap persists.

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