04/07/2022
Human rights, theory, evidence, and common sense all suggest that greater investment in women’s health could be among the “best buys” for broader economic development and societal wellbeing, say Michelle Remme and colleagues.
Investments in health are known to generate large social and economic benefits, in addition to saving lives and improving quality of life.
Meeting women’s health needs and eliminating gender inequality are moral imperatives and fundamental human rights, and investment in women’s health should therefore not require justification. However, the case is also compelling beyond the immediate health benefits. Although women live longer than men, they have specific unmet health needs and higher morbidity. In addition, women’s biological and social roles make them central to intergenerational transfers and demographic and development effects.
Moreover, women not only provide most of the informal care in homes and communities, they also represent 70% of the global health workforce, making them central to overall population health. By considering only the direct health benefits of investments in women’s health, we risk undervaluing the broader societal benefits and underinvesting in programmes to improve it.
