Women and health are key to sustainable development. In July 2023, New Zealand will share its first ever Woman’s Health Strategy. What can we expect from it?

Women’s health is in transition. Although some aspects of it have improved substantially in the past few decades, there are still important unmet needs.The complexity of the challenges faced by women throughout the life course needs an increased focus on health systems.

In New Zealand, the most recent attempt for change began in April 2021. Advocacy group The Gender Justice Collective handed in a 2873 signature petition that was backed by specialists, academics and women across the country asking for a gender lens to be applied to all policies relating to health. In 2021-2022 alone, there were at least 14 separate petitions to Parliament requesting action on specific health conditions unique to women. These included better access to maternity care, improvements in treating ovarian cancer, a clinical pathway for endometriosis, action on preventing traumatic birth injuries and a ban on surgical mesh.

Looking overseas, Australia currently has an Australian Women's Health Strategy. In support of this, the Australian Government is investing $353.9 million for women's health over the next four years. Australia implemented its first Women's National Health Policy in 1989. This was followed by the National Women’s Health Policy 2010. This National Women's Health Policy 2010 responded to the changing contexts, needs and understanding of women's health in Australia.

The United Kingdom has several institutions whose purpose is addressing gender inequality. These include a Government Equalities Office, headed by the Minister of Women and Equalities, as well as a Women and Equalities Committee that examines the work of the Government Equalities Office. They also have a significant amount of policy in place for the improvement of gender inequality.

The Status of Women Canada is the institution responsible for leading key policy initiatives on issues affecting women and girls in Canada. Within the government, Canada has a Minister for Women and Gender Equality, who is head of the Department of Women and Gender Equality Canada and responsible for the Status of Women.

For too long, women and their families have been left to deal with unmet health needs and their physical, economic and social costs. It has been seen as their individual issue and this needs to change. The WEF reports that for every $1 spent on improving access to family planning services, society yields $120 in health and economic benefits. 

While Aotearoa is a relatively progressive country regarding women's health, there are still barriers that women face in accessing healthcare and achieving optimal health outcomes. The countries that perform best in terms of women’s care outcomes have high levels of gender equality, access to healthcare, and other social and economic factors that contribute to women's well-being.

What can we expect from the imminent Women's Health Strategy?