Kearney’s 2024 International Women’s Day Forum, Creating a future that works for everyone, zoomed in on vital issues shaping the global outlook through the lens of women’s needs, from healthcare and technology to workplace culture and leadership. The forum brought together business and thought leaders to discuss how to create a more equitable and inclusive future—not just for women, but for everyone.

Redesigning healthcare with women in mind

Health is the one issue common to every living person on earth. But while women make up half the global population, women’s health issues have historically received only a tiny fraction of medical research and funding. In the UK, for example, less than 2.5 percent of publicly funded research was dedicated to reproductive health, despite the fact that one in three women will suffer from reproductive health issues during their lifetime.

Building on the success of Kearney’s open letter and report launched at the World Economic Forum, IWD brought together a community of global experts from across the healthcare ecosystem working urgently to address gender gaps in medical research, access, education, and treatment around the world.

The experts agreed: meaningful change will only be possible through shared knowledge and coordinated efforts from healthcare and insurance providers, regulators, pharmaceutical developers, investors, and allocators of research funding.

Bridging the gender divide in technology

The technology landscape is evolving faster than many of us could have imagined. Developments such as generative AI have untold potential for reshaping industries, accelerating both productivity and progress. But as we rely more and more on advanced technologies for crucial decision-making, the biases inherent in the male-led development and design of these products stand to be magnified. It’s one thing for AI to determine which ad to serve to which consumer, but the stakes are raised when AI is deciding who receives a loan—or a donor organ.

Kearney’s IWD Forum amplified a diverse set of voices—global business executives, AI specialists, investors, leaders from intergovernmental organizations, and even the longest surviving double-lung and heart transplant recipient in Africa— to explore various dimensions of the inclusivity challenge in tech and how we might solve them.

In mitigating bias in AI, diversity is essential not only for the data being fed into the models, but also for the teams testing the models themselves. To create more inclusive tech products, one expert recommended designing with the most marginalized groups in mind first. And to bring more women into the tech space, increase upskilling and awareness of all the ways women can contribute. Tech underpins almost every industry, and people of all educational and professional backgrounds will be needed to support the digital transition.

All agreed: as the applications of advanced technologies are better understood, we must remember that AI serves to augment human decision-making, not replace it. Especially in healthcare, AI cannot account for things like human suffering or the will to live. It’s up to us to use tools such as AI responsibly—with the goal of better outcomes for people always at the center.

Championing equity through leadership

Regardless of the industry, leaders who understand the true value of diverse teams and inclusive cultures can create meaningful change in their organizations. Kearney’s IWD Forum welcomed leaders from private equity, telecommunications, consumer and retail, transportation, and more to share their learnings and experiences building and supporting diverse teams.

For each of these leaders, diversity proved to be a business imperative—and gender diversity is just one dimension. The best innovation, creativity, and decision-making come from teams with diverse backgrounds—across gender, culture, education, geographic upbringing, previous work experience, and beyond. Authenticity and leaning into challenging conversations were identified as key strategies for enabling a culture of belonging.

In many industries, leaders acknowledged difficulty in sustaining gender parity through senior levels, recognizing challenges of the broken ladder as women still find themselves responsible for a greater share of domestic duties. To better support women throughout their careers, these executives advised that individual-level support, such as mentorship and sponsorship, must be backed by organizational policy for the greatest success, from equal pay and benefits to community groups and peer-to-peer networking.

The path forward

Throughout the week, one theme was clear: meaningful progress toward an inclusive future can only achieved through collaboration and community. This can take many forms: women working with allies, cross-industry and cross-sector cooperation, individual and organizational support, and humans and technology working in tandem. But all lead to one conclusion: only together can we create a future that works for everyone.

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