International Women’s Day 2025: leading experts on maximizing women’s health and rights
With women's health still underfunded and underprioritized compared to men, it's time to recognize it as both a human right and an economic opportunity.
- 10 March 2025
- 5 min read
- by World Economic Forum
- Women's health continues to be underfunded and underprioritized.
- To close this gap, it must be recognized as both a human right and an economic opportunity.
- The World Economic Forum's Global Alliance for Women's Health empowers women to take centre stage on the global health agenda.
Despite living longer than men, women live 25% more of their lives in poor health. Women's health continues to be plagued by fundamental gaps in treatment efficacy, care delivery, research, innovation, data and investment. As a result of these inequalities, women's right to health is undermined, underfunded and underprioritized. Their lived experiences and perspectives are often missing from health research and policy globally, leading to adverse outcomes for us all. Women and girls must be empowered, so they can be the guardians of their own health and well-being, and contribute to the prosperity of their families, communities and countries.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health is changing the narrative by centring women’s voices and empowering them to lead the global women’s health agenda. The Alliance’s Champions for Women’s Health, a community of senior global leaders from diverse industries and sectors, have outlined five priority areas: amplifying and centring women's voices in the conversation; safeguarding women and girls' agency to exercise bodily autonomy; uplifting adolescent girls and breaking cycles of poverty; mainstreaming women's health across healthcare; and maximizing social and political capital for women. These areas not only embody the rights, equality and empowerment framework for this year's International Women’s Day theme; they also encapsulate the Alliance's vision to promote equal access to quality health solutions when and where women need it, and at a price that they can afford.
o effectively close the equality gap, women's health must be recognized both as a human right and an untapped market opportunity. Economic prosperity and human rights are interconnected, and women’s health is a foundational element of both. The Forum is uniquely positioned to bridge these two aspects, bringing together diverse stakeholders to ensure that women’s health is not only seen as a moral imperative, but a strategic move: the Forum’s Women's Health Impact Tracking Platform shows that addressing only nine key medical conditions would result in adding the equivalent of 27 million disability-adjusted life years annually and $400 billion in global GDP by 2040, with the entire women’s health gap presenting a $1 trillion opportunity.
Below, our Champions for Women’s Health share their thoughts on: “How can closing the women's health gap contribute to rights, equality and empowerment for all women?”
'It is about agency and dignity'
Toyin Ojora Saraki, President, The Wellbeing Foundation
A seat at the table means little if women’s health is not on the menu. Closing the women’s health gap goes beyond access; it is about agency, dignity and the fundamental right to well-being. This is especially true across Africa, where women are the backbone of families, economies and communities. When African women receive the healthcare they need, they can fully participate in economic, social and political life as empowered leaders and change-makers, ensuring that policies and decisions reflect their realities and priorities. Women’s health is not a special interest issue; it is the foundation of a just, sustainable and equitable society.
'A women's needs-based approach delivers massive returns'
Marisol Touraine, Chair of the Board, Unitaid
A women’s needs-based approach delivers massive positive returns that ripple through societies – reducing poverty, advancing equality and building more prosperous communities. As we are celebrating this year the 30th anniversary of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which provided a visionary agenda for women’s empowerment, let’s unite our forces for health to support the highest ambitions of this transformative journey.
'A focused scientific approach should not be an afterthought'
Dr. Nandini Selvam, Vice-President and General Manager, IQVIA
Women in every country, occupation and generation face different gaps and starting points. Among the most significant barriers is the lack of access to proper healthcare, which continues to prevent many women from fully participating in education, careers and leadership roles. Women's health issues, such as reproductive and maternal care, and mental and chronic diseases, remain under-researched and overlooked. The fundamental differences in the biology of women necessitate a focused scientific approach that should not be an afterthought.
Prioritizing women's health empowers women, giving them control over their bodies and futures. This in turn fosters opportunity, independence and fairness. Closing the health gap not only enhances economic productivity, but also strengthens families and societies, and ultimately supports women's diverse roles as caregivers, innovators and leaders, making their contributions sustainable and impactful.
'Women's health is essential for a just and prosperous world'
Sahil Tesfu, CSO, Essity
Women live 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to men. Women’s health, including menstrual health, is a matter of rights, gender equality and sustainable development; it is essential for a just and prosperous world. For example, investing in menstrual health in the workplace reduces absenteeism by 62%, and workforce turnover by 23%. Schools, workplaces and healthcare systems must be organized to ensure women’s health and menstrual health. This requires collaboration across sectors and actors, and is the way forward for women and girls.
'When women have equitable access to healthcare, the benefits extend beyond them'
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, CEO, Medicaid Cancer Foundation
Closing the women's health gap not only entails addressing the disparities that impact women's health and well-being, but also empowering women to co-lead the global agenda, participate equally in social and political life, and be productive members of economies. When women are not restricted from equitable access to healthcare, socio-political capital and economic opportunities, the benefits extend beyond their own growth and prosperity.
Research has shown time and time again that women in leadership positions positively impact the strengthening of health facilities and reducing health inequities, and also result in improved outcomes for innovation, financial performance and women's empowerment overall. Hence, women's health must be positioned as and understood for what it is: a foundational element of rights, empowerment and equality for all.
