According to the EU Gender Equality Index 2025, gender equality in the EU remains at least another 50 years out of reach! This has significant implications for our societies at large, and especially for female dominated professional sectors, like nursing, with women making up 90% of the EU nursing workforce.
International Women’s Day 2026 acts therefore as a indispensable reminder that resilient healthcare systems are firmly reliant on gender-balanced leadership. Women and nurses bring essential expertise and experience to health and social policies, yet they remain underrepresented where key decisions are made. This must change!
With ongoing workforce challenges, more women and nurses are leaving the profession. EFN therefore urges the EU to address gender inequality in healthcare by improving working conditions, leadership opportunities, and political representation for women. In this regard, EFN welcomes the ongoing work in the European Parliament SANT-EMPL Own-Initiative Report (INI) on the Health Workforce, which is addressing these challenges.
Women and nurses are agents of change. Empowering women and nurses strengthens democracy, governance, and public health outcomes. As such, on International Women’s Day 2026, EFN is calling for stronger recognition of women’s leadership in healthcare and beyond, and for effective policy measures to support women and nurses to take up leadership positions at all levels of healthcare systems and policymaking!