Women’s health

Women live longer than men but spend more of their lives living with illness and disability. Women experience poorer health outcomes than men in several healthcare areas. Conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, and menopause also significantly impact women’s health, with long wait times for diagnosis and treatment exacerbating issues. The economic impact of women’s health conditions is substantial, costing the UK economy an estimated £11 billion annually.

The term ‘women’s health’ is used here to refer to the health of people who were registered as female on their birth certificate; this may include trans men and some non-binary people.

Women’s health inequalities

Access to healthcare and health outcomes vary among women. Inequalities include higher risks of pregnancy complications and cancer diagnosis delays for minority ethnic women, and significant health disparities for women in poverty, some LGBTI women, women with disabilities, and those with lower education levels.

Developing the Women’s Health Strategy for England

In 2021, the Conservative government launched a call for evidence on women’s healthcare experiences, leading to the first Women’s Health Strategy for England. Key priorities identified included gynaecological conditions, fertility, menopause, menstrual health, and mental health. Many women reported not being listened to by healthcare professionals. The government published a vision for the strategy in December 2021, emphasising a life course approach and five key themes: healthcare policies, information and education, workplace health, research, and women’s voices.

The Women’s Health Strategy for England

Published in August 2022, the ten-year Women’s Health Strategy for England aims to improve health outcomes and how the healthcare system listens to women. It includes a six-point plan focusing on:

1. Ensuring women’s voices are heard.
2. Improving access to services.
3. Addressing disparities in outcomes among women.
4. Better information and education.
5. Understanding women’s health in the workplace.
6. Supporting more research and improving data.

The strategy includes commitments like appointing a Women’s Health Ambassador, investing in research and encouraging the establishment of local women’s health hubs.

New women’s health priorities

In January 2024, the Conservative government set priorities including addressing problem periods, women’s health research, and support for abuse victims. The Labour government, in January 2025, committed to reducing gynaecology waiting lists, tackling maternity care inequalities, supporting local women’s health hubs, and improving NHS performance.

Gynaecology waiting times statistics

As of December 2024, there were 586,013 incomplete pathways for gynaecology services in the NHS.

The NHS waiting times standard is that 92% of those on the waiting list at any given time should have been waiting for less than 18 weeks. In December 2024, 44.6% of patients waiting for gynaecology services had been waiting over 18 weeks.

The NHS also has a zero-tolerance policy for waits of over 52 weeks. As of December 2024, 18,859 patients had been waiting for gynaecology services over 52 weeks.

Inequalities in health outcomes for women

A 2021 briefing by the House of Lords Library summarized some of the health inequalities experienced by women:

• Women are more likely to experience common mental health conditions than men.
• Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed.
• Women receive less pain medication after identical procedures and are more likely to be undertreated for pain by doctors.
• Women are less likely to be admitted to hospital when they complain of chest pain.
• Women had more than double the rate of death than men within the 30 days following a heart attack.

The report also highlighted the disproportionate effect of these inequalities on Black and Asian women.

A 2022 survey found that women spent months or years waiting for a diagnosis or referral, and struggled to access services locally. Women also said their health condition affected their experience in the workplace.