A major global report has found Australian women’s health is declining, particularly when it comes to emotional wellbeing and basic needs.
Australia scored 59 out of 100 in the fifth annual Hologic Global Women’s Health Index – our lowest result since the Index began five years ago.
While that puts us above the global average of 54, Australia trails behind the United States, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. We scored slightly higher than the United Kingdom and Canada.
Developed by women’s health company Hologic and conducted with Gallup, the Index is one of the world’s largest surveys. Almost 145,000 women and men aged 15 and over across 144 countries and territories took part.
It tracks five areas: preventive care, individual health, emotional health, basic needs and opinions of health and safety.
What did the report find?
Although Australia’s overall score is the same as last year, none of the five areas has returned to or exceeded the Year 1 result.
Preventive care, individual health and opinions of health and safety improved over the past 12 months, but emotional health and basic needs declined.
“This report shows women’s health cannot be taken for granted. While Australia performs above the global average, the downward trend across key measures is very concerning,” said Kensi Naicker, General Manager of Hologic Australia and New Zealand.
Preventive health testing remains low
Despite improving over the past year, almost every preventive testing rate is below where it was five years ago.
More than half of Australian women – 56 per cent – reported being tested for high blood pressure in the previous year, while 36 per cent had been tested for diabetes.
Rates were much lower for cancer and sexual health. Less than one in four women – 23 per cent – had been tested for cancer, while just 10 per cent had been tested for a sexually transmitted infection.
Specialist breast surgeon Professor Bruce Mann said early detection is crucial.
“Early detection is the single most powerful tool we have to improve breast cancer outcomes, but too many women are falling through the cracks,” he said.
“Whether it’s cost, access, or awareness, we are seeing the consequences of delayed diagnosis play out in our clinics every day. We have the tools. We just need to ensure women can access them.”
Cost-of-living affecting women’s health
Basic needs has one of the steepest declines across all five areas, falling from 92 in the first year of the Index to 84.
More than one in five Australian women struggled to afford food during the previous year, while one in nine had difficulty affording adequate shelter. Both figures have worsened over the past three years.
Australian women are more stressed and worried
More than half of Australian women – 52 per cent – said they had felt stressed for much of the previous day. Another 41 per cent experienced worry, 27 per cent sadness and 14 per cent anger.
All four measures of emotional health have declined over the past three years.
Physical pain is also taking a toll. More than one in three women spent much of the previous day in pain, while 28 per cent reported health problems that stopped them from doing things people their age would normally do.
Almost three in 10 were dissatisfied with the healthcare available in their area. And almost half said they did not feel safe walking alone at night.
Why is Australian women’s health going backwards?
The report points to a mix of financial pressure, difficulty accessing care and wider gender inequalities. Women are 35 per cent more likely than men to delay or skip medical care.
Gender bias and outdated stereotypes can also lead to women’s symptoms being dismissed, contributing to delayed diagnoses, misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment.
Nadia Levin, CEO and Managing Director of Research Australia, said the findings reveal a gap between Australia’s health policies and women’s everyday experiences.
“We have the policy settings, but not the lived reality. Structural barriers and a fragmented system – evident through a lack of focus on women’s health across our research and innovation sector – continue to delay preventive testing and early diagnosis.”
What needs to change?
Australia’s National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030 includes commitments to prevention, early detection and equitable access to healthcare. But the findings suggest many women are yet to feel the benefits.
“Addressing affordability, improving timely access to screening, and confronting systemic bias can no longer be long-term ambitions,” Nadia said. “They must be immediate priorities if outcomes for Australian women are to improve.”
