Sustainability > Hologic's Global Women's Health Index
Hologic’s Commitment to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations Member States with an aim to end poverty, protect the environment and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Hologic is uniquely focused on helping improve the lives of women around the world. We combine our life-changing products and technologies with a resolute commitment to influence change through science and data. With this principle in mind, we recognized that to improve global women’s health, we first must systematically measure the well-being of women worldwide.
As the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index dataset is now in its third year, we have accumulated data patterns that add acutely to the call for significant change to improve the lives of women globally. Sadly, data from the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index is consistent with the 2022 United Nations Gender Snapshot.
For example, according to the measurement of U.N. SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being, women’s life expectancy decreased by 1.6 years in 2021 compared to 2019. Similarly, the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index reveals troubling findings related to women’s basic needs, one of the main factors determining life expectancy. Around the world, data from this Index tells us that 33% of women — nearly 1 billion women — reported being unable to afford food and shelter in the last 12 months.
There is also a gender gap in food insecurity globally. More women report food insecurity, while men do not report any increase. Importantly, in many cultures around the world, women are the last to eat. When food is available, women may have less to eat than anyone else in the family.
Hologic Signs the Zero Health Gaps Pledge
The World Economic Forum initiated the Zero Health Gaps Pledge to close the gap of health inequity around the world. More than 70 private sector executives, government representatives, academics, civil society leaders and NGOs — including Hologic — committed to promote that all individuals can fulfill their potential through health and well-being. The pledge was created in direct support of the U.N. SDGs and specifically identifies three root causes of health disparities:
- Inequality in the healthcare system.
- Non-medical drivers of health.
- Systemic flaws in healthcare delivery.
When describing U.N. SDG 5, Gender Equality, the U.N. finds that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. In fact, the U.N. finds that only 47% of the data required to track progress against SDG 5 is currently available. Hologic is collecting data to provide awareness and usher in actions and policies to achieve the aims of SDG 5. With the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index, we annually collect gender-disaggregated data showing global gender gaps for cancer screenings, emotional health, healthcare disparities, basic needs and domestic violence.
Our mission with the Index is directly aligned with the spirit of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. We intend to use these data to guide decisions of global leaders, policymakers and civil society to act and improve the state of women’s health worldwide.
When performing our materiality assessment, we considered Hologic's unique opportunity to make a positive impact on the world. We identified the following areas most relevant to our business:
