Every year on May 28, the International Day of Action for Women’s Health is celebrated to remind us that women’s health is not merely a women’s issue. It is a social, economic and human rights issue that affects families, workplaces, communities and entire nations.
And yet, in India and globally, women continue to face enormous barriers to healthcare. This ranges from unsafe pregnancies and untreated anaemia to mental health stigma, gender violence and unequal medical research. Despite advances in medicine and technology, millions of women still struggle to access quality, affordable and respectful care.
The irony is striking. Women often live longer than men, but they spend more years in poor health. Globally, women’s health remains underfunded, under-researched and under-prioritised. For Indian women especially, the challenge is not just about access to hospitals. It is about social attitudes, nutrition, financial independence, safety and education. The conversation around women’s health needs to move beyond awareness campaigns and token messaging.
India’s Silent Health Crisis
India has made significant progress in maternal healthcare over the last two decades. Institutional deliveries have increased, maternal mortality rates have fallen and more women are receiving antenatal care.
Yet there is another quieter crisis. Anaemia remains one of the biggest threats to women’s health in India. Studies and national health surveys consistently show alarming rates of iron deficiency among adolescent girls, pregnant women and women of reproductive age.
For many Indian women, malnutrition begins early. Girls are often fed less nutritious food than boys, marry young, become mothers early and continue to neglect their own health while prioritising family responsibilities. Even educated urban women frequently dismiss symptoms like fatigue, dizziness or weakness as normal, when they may actually indicate severe deficiencies. Nutrition is only one part of the problem.
Access to healthcare remains deeply unequal between urban and rural India. Women in villages may still travel long distances for basic gynaecological care. Many hesitate to seek medical attention due to social stigma, lack of privacy or financial dependence on male family members.
Mental health is another neglected area. Anxiety, postpartum depression, burnout and emotional exhaustion often go undiagnosed because women are expected to ‘adjust’ and continue functioning regardless of stress. The unpaid labour of caregiving such as cooking, childcare, elder care and emotional management rarely receives recognition, even though it directly affects women’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Then there is the issue of gender-based violence. Domestic abuse, sexual violence and harassment are not only safety concerns, but major public health issues. Trauma affects sleep, reproductive health, immunity, mental health and long-term wellbeing. Yet many survivors remain silent because social systems continue to shame women instead of protecting them.
The Global Picture
Across the world, women’s healthcare systems have historically been designed around male bodies. Medical research, clinical trials and treatment guidelines have often failed to account for how diseases affect women differently. For example, heart disease symptoms in women are frequently missed because medical understanding was based largely on male symptoms. Conditions such as endometriosis, menopause-related disorders and autoimmune diseases remain underdiagnosed globally.
The gap is financial too. Women’s health receives far less investment in research and innovation compared to many other healthcare sectors. According to global health experts, this neglect creates massive economic losses because poor health limits women’s participation in education and work.
Meanwhile, conflict zones, climate disasters and economic inequality disproportionately affect women and girls. Reports from international organisations warn that rising poverty, displacement and food insecurity are reversing progress in gender equality worldwide.
Even preventive healthcare remains inaccessible for millions. Globally, billions of women still lack routine screening for cervical cancer, diabetes or hypertension. Technology offers promise through telemedicine, health apps and femtech innovations, but these solutions are not equally accessible. Digital literacy, affordability and privacy concerns continue to exclude many women, especially in low-income communities.
Why Women’s Health Is Still Treated As Secondary
Societies across the world still condition women to endure discomfort silently. Pain during menstruation is normalised and menopause is dismissed. Emotional exhaustion is romanticised as sacrifice. Women are praised for resilience while their suffering is ignored. Many women seek medical care only when illness becomes severe, because they have been taught to prioritise everyone else first.
There is also a dangerous tendency to reduce women’s health to reproductive health alone. While maternal care and contraception are essential, women’s health extends far beyond childbirth. It includes cardiovascular disease, mental health, ageing, cancer, workplace stress, disability and chronic illness.
What Needs To Change
Real change requires action at multiple levels such as governments, healthcare systems, workplaces, families and communities. First, healthcare must become more gender-responsive. This means better research on women’s bodies, more inclusive clinical trials and medical training that recognises gender-specific symptoms and experiences.
Second, preventive care must become a priority. Regular screening for anaemia, breast cancer, cervical cancer, diabetes and mental health conditions should be accessible and affordable, especially in rural and underserved areas.
India also needs stronger investment in nutrition programmes for adolescent girls and pregnant women. Fighting anaemia is not simply about iron tablets but requires education, food security and long-term community awareness.
Mental healthcare must become part of mainstream women’s healthcare. Therapy and counselling should not remain urban luxuries available only to the privileged.
Workplaces too, have a major role to play. Flexible policies, menstrual support, maternity benefits, childcare facilities and mental wellness programmes are not special favours, they are necessary for a healthy workforce. Most importantly, families must stop glorifying female self-sacrifice. Women deserve rest, medical attention and emotional support without guilt.
A Future Built On Care
The International Day of Action for Women’s Health is ultimately about dignity. Women should not have to fight to be believed when they describe pain. They should not have to choose between healthcare and household expenses or spend their lives surviving quietly while caring for everyone else.
When women have access to nutrition, healthcare, safety, education and autonomy, societies prosper. Children are healthier and communities become happier and more resilient. This May 28 onwards, let’s stop treating women’s health as an afterthought.