Push for women’s health funding to close gender gapMaeve BannisterAAPMon, 1 September 2025 5:02AM
From periods to pregnancy, menopause and mental health, women’s health challenges cover a wide spectrum, with experts warning chronic underfunding in research must be addressed to close the gender health gap.
Women’s Health Week, which runs from Monday to Friday, will spotlight topics to encourage women to prioritise their health and wellbeing – from an emphasis on heart health to navigating conversations with doctors.
The federal government has committed $573 million in funding for women’s health, including spending on long-term contraceptives and expanding endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.
While the half-billion-dollar package prioritises access to treatments, experts say it overlooks a deeper and persistent challenge – the chronic underfunding of women’s health research.
Women have been historically excluded from clinical trials due to biases and experts are working to catch up on decades of medical research, Women and Infants Research Foundation chief scientist Matt Kemp said.
Before the late 1980s, drug trials in the United States excluded women of child-bearing age, leading to women facing misdiagnosis or delayed treatment.
“It’s a challenge that requires not just more resources but a much greater degree of public awareness to deal with the significant health gap between men and women,” Professor Kemp told AAP.
“The quick and easy answer is to say ‘throw more money at it’ and more resources are certainly part of the solution, but it’s got to be a whole-of-society approach from government and the private industry.”
A Flinders University study has found women in Australia, the US and the United Kingdom are having babies later in life, resulting in rising health risks and widening inequalities in maternal care.
The average age of first-time mothers has steadily increased, with many women now starting their families at age 35 or older.
While older mothers are more likely to engage with prenatal care, they also face higher risks of complications.
“We’re seeing increased rates of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and caesarean sections among older mothers, which raises important questions about how maternity care systems are adapting,” lead author Dr Anya Arthurs said.
Women’s health is not just about reproductive health, with more than half of Australian women living with a chronic health condition.
September 1 will be the first National Day of Awareness for Young Women’s Breast Cancer, established by So Brave.
It follows a campaign to make breast cancer diagnostic tests free, with fears young women are putting off diagnostic scans due to the out-of-pocket cost.
So Brave is a charity supporting young Australians facing breast cancer and its founder, Rachelle Panitz, will meet with federal politicians about making access to diagnosis easier and more affordable.
“People put (the scans) off and that can lead to worse outcomes,” she said.
“These kinds of considerations are not new but they are exacerbated by the cost of living.”
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