Who Runs the World?: Unlocking the Talent and Inventiveness of Women Everywhere

by Lois Quam

Overview

“Achieving a world where women everywhere can fulfill their potential is the great unfinished work of today and the very work we must do to make progress. Lois Quam shows how we can build the future we envision for us all by supporting women and girls around the world.”— Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th US Secretary of State

As the world struggles against escalating crisis and conflict, there's a transformative force waiting to be unlocked—the unparalleled potential of women and girls. In Who Runs the World?, author Lois Quam imagines a world where the brilliance and capabilities of women are not just recognized, but mobilized to create a brighter future for us all.

Who Runs the World? explores what happens when we unlock the immense potential of women and girls globally—by recognizing that reproductive health and rights is at the heart of women’s empowerment. Only by effectively addressing reproductive health can we unlock the untapped power of women and girls, giving global efforts the best shot at combatting major threats to survival on Earth.

Quam is CEO of Pathfinder, a global health and development nonprofit that puts decisions about women’s bodies and futures in their own hands. Her book draws on the stories of Pathfinder leaders in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, showcasing the organization’s revolutionary work to unlock the immense talent of the world’s women, and the obstacles that still stand in the way. Their stories paint a vivid picture of the significant impact that women and girls can have when they drive change in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, climate resilience, and economic development.

Women's empowerment isn't just an idea—it’s the key to global transformation. Who Runs the World? is a call to action for everyone who has experienced for themselves what it means to be able to choose whether and when to have children – and to be able to do it safely, with high quality health care. It is a roadmap for creating a world where everyone is free to make informed decisions about their lives and how this is the surest path to creating a better future for us all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798887500812
Publisher:	Forbes Books
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	569,724
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Named three times to FORTUNE’s list of the most influential women leaders in business, LOIS QUAM, Pathfinder’s CEO since 2017, is a senior leader in the corporate, government, and civil society sectors.

At Pathfinder, Lois and her colleagues provide global leadership demonstrating the vital role women play, when supported, in addressing the central challenges of our day. Deeply committed to putting power and decisions closer to those who experience their impact, Lois relinquished her role as Pathfinder’s President to form a leadership group with two other women – President Lydia Saloucou Zoungrana in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and President Tabinda Sarosh in Karachi, Pakistan.

Prior to joining Pathfinder, Lois served at the U.S. State Department as leader of President Barack Obama's Global Health Initiative with annual U.S. investment over $8 billion addressing the biggest health challenges facing millions of people across over eighty countries. In the corporate sector, she was the founding CEO of a division of UnitedHealth Group, providing services to older Americans and low-income families across the United States through the Medicare and Medicaid programs and in partnership with AARP. A Rhodes Scholar from Minnesota, Quam has degrees from Oxford University and Macalester College.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Lois Quam argues for universal, unrestricted access to reproductive education and health care in Who Runs the World-yet, a book that dares to rethink approaches to large-scale problems around the globe.”
— Foreword

“Pathfinder International CEO Quam fashions a powerful anthem for women’s rights in this knockout debut.”
— BookLife by Publishers Weekly Editor’s Pick

“Firecracker call-to-action for women’s healthcare rights.”
— BookLife by Publishers Weekly Editor’s Pick

“An invigorating blueprint for building a better world—this book is sure to inspire readers.”
— Kirkus

“Quam writes with clarity and accessibility, includes exhaustive research, and is proof that a lot of good is happening in the world, but there's still a long way to go...and this book is an excellent start.”
— Readers’ Favorite

“Just as women’s rights are human rights, women’s progress is human progress. Achieving a world where women everywhere can fulfill their potential is the great unfinished work of today and the very work we must do to make progress. Lois Quam first worked with me over thirty years ago and she demonstrates in her life and leadership – and now in her book Who Runs the World-yet – the resilience and creativity needed for this work. Lois shows how we can build the future we envision for us all by supporting women and girls around the world.”
— Hillary Rodham Clinton
67th US Secretary of State

“This is an inspiring book by an inspiring woman. Lois Quam is a leader, thinker, and mother who has put into words key insights about our world and how to change it. Who Runs the World-yet is a powerful call to new kinds of action and new ways of thinking.”
— David Miliband

“It is clearer every year that we cannot afford to pursue responses to one challenge at the expense of another. We need holistic, global solutions to climate change that also benefit sustainable development. So, if you want to make a difference on climate, add Who Runs The World-yet by Lois Quam to your reading list. Quam, a longtime partner with us on setting the climate agenda in Norway, shares why and how empowering women is at the heart of the sustained effort we need for climate resilience.”
— Frederic Hauge
Founder, Bellona Foundation

“Lois and I worked to end preventable maternal deaths through the Saving Mothers, Giving Life initiative. I am delighted she has shared this important work and her vision in Who Runs the World. In it, Lois makes the powerful—and obvious but neglected—point that unlocking women’s talent is key to addressing many of the challenges of the 21St century. She’s right and we can all do our part to make this happen.”
— Christy Turlington Burns
Founder, Every Mother Counts

“Imagine a future where women and girls everywhere have the same opportunity to run the world. Lois Quam imagines and more. These stories of leadership decisions, experiences and lessons, provide a front seat view of her transformational allyship, and a key to unlocking the power of women everywhere.”
— Mary-Ann Etiebet, MD, MBA
Merck for Mothers

“Lois writes Who Runs the World-yet as we mark a halfway point for the Sustainable Development Goals, set for 2030. Yet we already know we will not achieve many of these goals, unless we enable women to realize their full potential. At the core of this pursuit is the right for women to decide if and when they want to have children, afforded through rights-based family planning.”
— Samukeliso Dube, MD, MPH, MBA
Executive Director, Family Planning 2030

"Women’s leadership in climate solutions is required everywhere. Who Runs the World-yet Unlocking the Talent and Inventiveness of Women Everywhere rightly highlights the vital role women have to play. I see this at the global COP forums and in the local village. For anyone who cares about addressing climate change, investing in women is the catalytic move that can make all the difference."
— Sherry Rehman
Member of the Senate of Pakistan; Former Minister for Climate Change and Ambassador to the U.S. for Pakistan

Editorial Reviews

2024-05-23
An American nonprofit executive discusses the global value of unlocking female potential.

Since 2017, Quam has been the president and CEO of Pathfinder, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to sexual and reproductive health services and creating opportunities for women and their communities to reach their full potential. In this book, she expounds upon Pathfinder’s mission, observing that without access to reproductive health services, the potential of women and girls is stymied, a net negative for society. The author deftly connects climate change, refugee crises, and inadequate health care systems to demonstrate how women are crucial to addressing each problem. (“Unlocking the talent, skills, and energy of the world’s women is the big move that can catalyze global progress in the twenty-first century.”) The book’s first section describes Pathfinder’s history, including a reckoning with founder Clarence Gamble’s eugenicist beliefs. The second highlights some of the author’s recent work, such as improving maternal health care services, integrating reproductive health care with other local health services, and striving to close the technology gender divide. Quam then looks to the future, discussing the need to ensure the livelihoods of young people by providing them with reproductive education, expanding fertility health services globally, and reorganizing Pathfinder to be a country-led organization. The author writes with the energy and enthusiasm of someone accustomed to moving mountains to achieve one’s goals. She asserts that empowering women is a necessary global good and has the data and experience to back it up. The effect of this book is galvanizing, especially in the current political climate, where it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the many challenges the world faces. “We are, I think, well aware of what can go wrong. Less so about what could go right.” This line, which would seem like a platitude from another author, lands differently coming from a woman whose work has improved thousands of lives.

An invigorating blueprint for building a better world—this book is sure to inspire readers.

Kirkus Reviews