By Halima Tus Sadia, Head of Growth, Spreeha Foundation
Capacity building for frontline healthcare workers. Photo: Spreeha Foundation
Despite decades of conversations about gender equality, women worldwide remain trapped in systemic barriers. In Bangladesh, they make up half the population but contribute only 36% to the GDP – held back by low-paying informal jobs and unpaid care work. While the country boasts high female political representation, less than 5% of CEOs are women, and a staggering 77% of Bangladeshi women face domestic violence. The health crisis is equally alarming – over half suffer from anemia, one in five pregnancies results in life-threatening complications, and only 37% receive postnatal care.
Globally, the situation isn’t much better. Women earn 77 cents for every dollar men make, take on three times more unpaid labor, and hold just a quarter of leadership roles. Every day, 800 women die from preventable pregnancy-related complications, and despite being twice as likely as men to experience depression, they receive disproportionately less medical attention and research funding.
The irony? The world has pledged gender equality through SDG 5, yet at the current pace, it will take centuries to get there. The pay gap, the glass ceiling, and the “we-support-women-but-don’t-promote-them” culture won’t disappear without radical change. Laws and policies exist, but without real enforcement, they remain empty promises. What we need isn’t symbolic support but bold action – dismantling the structures that keep women “empowered” yet never truly in power.
This is where Spreeha steps in – not just to challenge the status quo but to transform it. We are building workplaces that don’t just include women but elevate them. Beyond the workplace, we bring healthcare to women where they need it most – through maternal health programs, reproductive care, and community health initiatives. By embedding gender equity into every layer of society – work, healthcare, and leadership – Spreeha is proving that change isn’t just necessary; it’s possible.
The solution is clear: challenge norms, listen to marginalized voices, measure progress, act boldly, and repeat. True equality isn’t a distant dream – it’s the result of sustained, measurable action. And that’s exactly what we’re building.
Ensuring safe pregnancy for women. Photo: Spreeha Foundation
Spreeha’s workplace: A model for gender equality
At Spreeha, gender sensitivity isn’t just a policy – it’s ingrained in the organization’s core values. Women aren’t merely included here; they are empowered, supported, and elevated into leadership roles. We don’t just advocate for breaking down barriers – we actively remove them, creating a workplace where equality is a lived reality, not just an aspiration.
One of our foundational principles is – zero pay gap policy, ensuring that men and women are compensated equally for equal work. This commitment eradicates the subtle yet pervasive discrimination that persists in many workplaces. Our vision of equality extends beyond paychecks – it’s about influence and representation for us. With women occupying 50% of leadership and board positions, decision-making reflects diverse perspectives, ensuring that policies and initiatives are not only gender-sensitive but also shaped by women themselves. Two out of four department heads are women who lead our program strategies, fundraising, and determine how those funds are being used.
Recognizing that motherhood often unfairly disrupts women’s careers, we offer robust support systems, including paid maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, and comprehensive parental benefits. We understand that caregiving is a shared responsibility, extending support to all parents. This approach ensures that women never have to sacrifice their career ambitions for family commitments. At Spreeha, the workplace is designed to adapt to life, not the other way around.
For more insights into Spreeha’s supportive work culture, check out the blog I wrote after rejoining the team following my maternity leave: Building a Work Culture to Make Parenthood Easier.
Beyond formal policies, we cultivate a culture of respect and inclusion. Women aren’t just participants in meetings – they lead them. Women’s voices are amplified, their perspectives shape strategic decisions, and their aspirations are met with opportunities, not roadblocks. The organization enforces strict anti-harassment policies, provides inclusive leadership development programs, and ensures mentorship is accessible to all. At Spreeha, gender sensitivity isn’t a box to tick – it’s the bedrock of how we function.
Pregnancy awareness session for women. Photo: Spreeha Foundation
Spreeha’s programming: Bridging the healthcare gap for women
At Spreeha, our programs are designed to address the unique healthcare challenges faced by women and girls, who make up 70% of our beneficiaries. We focus on key areas such as maternal and child health, reproductive health, mental wellness, and eye care, ensuring accessible and gender-sensitive care.
Maternal and reproductive health: Care that doesn’t end at childbirth
Our maternal healthcare program provides expectant mothers with regular check-ups, safe childbirth assistance, and postpartum care. But the support doesn’t stop there – new mothers receive counseling on nutrition, mental health, and family planning, ensuring long-term well-being. Recognizing that women’s health isn’t just about childbirth, Spreeha also offers affordable reproductive health services, including cervical and breast cancer screenings, STI prevention, and menstrual health education. Till the date, we have worked with over 20,000 mothers and their families in making reproductive health a right for women.
Ensuring quality routine check-up for women. Photo: Spreeha Foundation
Breaking taboos: Adolescent health & menstrual awareness
Our adolescent health programs focus on menstrual health education, challenging cultural taboos that hinder girls from managing their periods safely and confidently. Beyond menstruation, we educate young girls about bodily autonomy, consent, and reproductive health, empowering them to advocate for gender equity and make informed decisions about their bodies.
To further support adolescent girls, we are piloting an innovative chatbot initiative in partnership with SimPPL, a project backed by MIT and UNICEF. Leveraging our expertise in technology, this chatbot will serve as a trusted resource, answering questions and providing guidance to make menstrual health management easier and more accessible for girls.
Community healthcare: Women as the frontline force
Healthcare access isn’t just about clinics – it’s about trust. We train women community health workers who serve as health educators and first responders, ensuring that underserved women receive accurate medical advice and timely interventions. In a society where women often need male permission to seek medical help, these trusted female health workers bridge the gap, advocating for women’s right to make their own healthcare decisions. Spreeha also engages fathers, husbands, and community leaders in conversations about women’s health, shifting societal perceptions and building male allyship in gender-sensitive healthcare.
Our urgent care centers are managed by local health professionals, with 50% led by women. We prioritize hiring and training female health professionals, equipping them with skills in business, quality care, and financial management. Additionally, all our community health workers are women, ensuring effective communication and mobilization within the communities we serve.
New initiative: Eye care and surgeries for elderly women
We’ve launched a new initiative to address eye care needs, particularly for elderly women. At each of our urgent care centers, we’ve set up Vision Corners where individuals can get their eyes checked and receive reading glasses, with a special focus on supporting women.
Additionally, we’re working across 26 districts to provide cataract surgeries for elderly individuals, 52% of whom are women. Recognizing that many elderly women depend on their families for care – often leading to delays in treatment – we actively raise awareness, negotiate with families, and provide surgeries along with post-operative care. This initiative not only improves vision but also transforms livelihoods, empowering elderly women to live more independently and with dignity.
Safe Medication at Spreeha Urgent Care Center. Photo: Spreeha Foundation
What’s next for us?
At Spreeha, we are committed to making gender equality a tangible reality, not just a theoretical goal. While we have established an equitable workplace and impactful programs, we recognize that true, lasting change requires a broader, systemic shift. That’s why we are focused on scaling our efforts and driving industry-wide transformation.
To create measurable impact, we are developing a comprehensive gender equity framework that tracks progress across key areas – economic mobility, leadership opportunities, and healthcare access. We are integrating gender analysis and human-centered design tools to ensure that every solution we implement is informed by women’s real-life experiences and needs.
Our efforts extend beyond our organization. We are actively working to share our model for fair pay, leadership equity, and family-friendly policies with other businesses and institutions. We are calling on companies, investors, and policymakers to join us in pushing for structural reforms that will create sustainable gender equity at every level of society.
Our programs address the root causes of gender inequality, tackling the systemic barriers that restrict women’s access to opportunities and essential services. But we cannot close the gender gap alone. We need a collective commitment to real change. This is a call to action: businesses, governments, and individuals – join us in advancing gender equity. Implement inclusive workplace policies, support women-led healthcare initiatives, and champion systemic reforms that ensure women can thrive. Together, we can create a world where gender equality is the standard, not the exception.