When we talk about women’s health, what comes to mind? For many, the focus is still overwhelmingly on fertility, pregnancy and childbirth. These are, of course, important milestones – but they’re only a small part of a woman’s life.
What about the woman navigating crippling endometriosis in her twenties, the mother sidelined by chronic fatigue in her thirties, or the grandmother quietly struggling with heart disease in her sixties?
A new report has found that, as a country, we’re still failing to answer that question. Commissioned by The Sisterhood Foundation, the research reveals just 3.3 per cent of government research funding goes to women’s health. Even more concerning, most of that tiny slice is directed towards reproduction.
Lead Researcher and Senior Research Fellow, Dr Sara Holton from the Health and Social Care Unit in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University says this narrow view leaves millions of women without the care they desperately need.
“One of the most urgent needs is to broaden the definition of women’s health beyond reproduction,” she explains.
“While pregnancy and fertility are very important, women consistently told us that other conditions such as endometriosis, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease and the long-term impacts of trauma and violence are being overlooked and need increasing investment.”
The overlooked years
Every woman, regardless of whether she chooses to have children, will experience puberty, hormonal shifts, and eventually menopause. Yet menopause and healthy ageing remain chronically under-researched.
Dr Holton calls this one of the report’s most concerning findings. “We see significant gaps in funding for menopause and healthy ageing, which affect every woman, yet are still under-researched,” she says.
The consequences aren’t just medical. When women are unwell, they’re less able to participate fully in work, education, and family life.
“Greater investment in these areas would not only improve health outcomes but also reduce the broader economic and social costs of women being unable to work, study or care for their families,” Dr Holton says.
The struggle to be heard
Some of the most powerful insights in the report come directly from women themselves. Many spoke of feeling dismissed or minimised when they raised concerns with health professionals.
“Women told us time and again that they felt unheard,” Dr Holton explains. “A key step is improving training and awareness among health professionals so they recognise gender differences in symptoms, disease presentation and pain expression, and avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Too often, women’s experiences are assumed to mirror men’s when we now know this simply isn’t the case.”
Take heart disease, for example. Symptoms in women often look different from those in men – sometimes presenting as fatigue, nausea or jaw pain rather than the ‘classic’ chest pain. Without adequate training, these signs can be missed, with devastating consequences.
Longer appointment times could also make a big difference. “Many health issues are complex, but women also often need to discuss multiple, interrelated concerns,” says Dr Holton. “If systems allowed longer consultations, women would have a better chance of being properly heard.”
And then there’s the issue of data. “If health data continues to be collected and analysed without a gender lens, these inequities will persist,” she warns.
Rethinking the system
So how do we move towards something better? The report calls for a ‘gender-responsive’ healthcare system – one that reflects the reality of women’s lives.
“A gender-responsive healthcare system is one that recognises that women’s health is more than reproductive health,” Dr Holton explains. “It would mean embedding a gender lens in every decision, from research priorities, to medical education, to funding models.”
That could mean funding streams dedicated to conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. It could also involve mandating that clinical trials include sex-disaggregated data, ensuring women are properly represented in research.
And it must extend beyond the cities. “It would also involve resourcing frontline services, particularly in regional areas, to meet the needs of women at all life stages – from puberty through to menopause and beyond,” says Dr Holton.
But above all, she stresses, the first step is leadership. “Acknowledging the gender health gap and setting national targets to close it. Once you measure and prioritise women’s health, action follows.”
“Women know better than anyone what’s being missed and what is needed. It’s time we listen to them.”
