Women and girls make up nearly half of the world’s population, yet they often face unique health challenges. They live longer than men but spend a significant part of their lives dealing with health issues or disabilities. Despite this, funding for women’s health is alarmingly low. According to a report by the World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group, women’s health receives just six percent of total private healthcare investment.
Health tech investments are even more concerning. A recent analysis found that women’s health companies captured only two percent of the $41.2 billion in health-tech funding this year. Trish Stroman from BCG and Shyam Bishen from WEF pointed out that while gender equality has made strides, the health outcomes for men and women are still vastly different.
Improving care for women’s health could unlock over $100 billion in market value, specifically through better screening for conditions like menopause, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease. However, limited investment and research have made it hard to close this gap. The result? A public health gap that contributes to market inefficiency.
Women face specific health issues like endometriosis and menopause, which add to their overall disease burden. Reports suggest that conditions like maternal health, PMS, and cervical cancer contribute significantly to health problems women encounter, but they receive less than one percent of research funding. This stark misalignment between funding and health needs needs urgent attention.
From 2020 to 2025, private healthcare funding totaled $2.87 trillion, with only $175 billion going to women’s health. A large portion of this funding targets reproductive health and maternal care, leaving many significant conditions underfunded. Only about one percent of funds were allocated to areas like mental health and cardiovascular conditions that disproportionately affect women.
For true progress, more robust evidence is needed to support innovation and investment in women’s health. This requires a better understanding of women’s health issues through focused research and clinical trials. However, women remain underrepresented in many clinical trials, comprising only 41.2 percent of participants in a study examining over 1,400 trials. This gap impairs our ability to develop treatments tailored to women’s specific health needs.
Sania Nishtar from Gavi emphasized the importance of turning scientific findings into effective policies, then into successful programs. Without a strong delivery system and sustainable funding, innovations will not achieve their intended impact. For real change, we need collective effort and dedication to women’s health.
For more insights on women’s health investments and challenges, check the World Economic Forum’s report here.
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Health,r&d,Women's Health,World Economic Forum
