Why 2025 is a big year in women's health

This year's International Women's Day 2025 comes at a critical time for women's health globally.

So far, 2025 seems to mark a turning point for gender health equity – a movement increasingly returning to its protest origins rather than settling for celebration.

And some of the global contradictions couldn't make that clearer.

Australia's pre-election promise of a $AUD573 million boost to women's health funding and the government's commitment to implement key recommendations from the Senate inquiry into menopause and perimenopause signal progress.

This is in stark contrast to America's USAID cuts that have stripped essential services from vulnerable women worldwide and major funding reductions for women's health studies.

Against this backdrop, 2025 is showing us why action trumps symbolism when it comes to women's health – and how political decisions directly impact healthcare for millions of women worldwide.

Business & Economics

Could we be entering a new era in women’s health funding?

We asked three leading experts in women's health (both physical and mental) to explain why 2025 marks a defining moment for women's health globally – and what's truly at stake beyond the political rhetoric.

Defending women’s health amid global turmoil

Professor Cathy Vaughan – Director of the Nossal Institute for Global Health

While some Australians may be cynical about a day often hijacked by corporate interests and pink cupcakes, in the majority world (and for many here too) International Women’s Day retains its origins as a day of protest. 

And there has never been a more urgent need to stand in solidarity with, and protest alongside, women and girls globally.

The impacts of recent decisions made by the current administration are not only being felt by women and girls in the USA, but also by women and girls in low and middle-income countries around the world. 

The dismantling of programs funded by USAID drastically reduces access to health services, including maternal, sexual and reproductive health services; programs to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls; and treatment for infectious and non-communicable diseases alike. 

The Trump administration’s elimination of more than 90 per cent of foreign aid contracts translates to elimination of efforts to prevent child marriage, to keep girls in school, to include women and girls with disabilities in their communities and to protect women and girls in humanitarian emergencies. 

Health & Medicine

All young people should get the HPV vaccine – girls and boys

America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization and cessation of funding to the United Nations Population Fund severely undermines the vital support that UN agencies provide to women’s health organisations globally.

Cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean that vital women’s health research has ground to a halt. 

By insisting that certain words are removed from websites and federal documents, as well as preventing access to data about the health of certain groups, the administration not only denies the very existence of some women (particularly transgender women), but blocks understanding of the severe inequalities in health that exist within and between groups of women and girls. 

All of this amid the administration’s stance on reproductive rights which puts lives at risk.

This International Women’s Day, remember the day’s activist origins. 

We must work with our elected representatives, institutions, corporations and communities to promote equity in global health, and prevent hard won progress in women’s and girl’s health being lost. 

Don’t be scared, let’s get you prepared

Professor Leah Ruppanner – Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab and the Gender Equity Initiative

Where did we all get stuck?

Yes, women have more education now than ever before, including more university degrees than men. And, yes, women are entering employment at higher rates than ever before, working full-time in jobs that were once historically reserved for men only.

Politics & Society

How is it that many men still aren’t pulling their weight at home?

Yes, Australia has had a woman Prime Minister (although my home country of the USA has not). And, yes, more women are leading our governments and our companies than in previous generations.

These are all progresses that we should celebrate. But we know that women are far from parity, and we still have a long way to go.

So, what can we do to get women unstuck? And, how can we do this in a way that is empowering rather than discouraging?

Well, this is exactly the type of work we are doing at the Gender Equity Initiative at the University of Melbourne. We are thinking about all the tremendous changes that are happening that will change how we live, work and care.

We are mapping the ways in which the advances in technology, including generative AI, are going to shift our lives including what we need to be successful at work.

We are capturing the impact of the greying of Australia’s population will create new care challenges, sandwiching women in the care of their children and their parents.

We are preparing for massive environmental and health changes (WEF 2023), that, like the COVID-19 pandemic showed us, will require us to be nimble, flexible and adaptable.

We are thinking about the future of work, care and our lives.

Health & Medicine

Why are women ignored by medical research?

And, through this thinking we are clear on one thing – we need the unique insights and skills that women bring to face these challenges.

We need a cohort of women who are not scared but rather are prepared.

How are we doing this work? Well, we have launched our podcast MissPerceived, where I help unpack research on women’s lives in short, sharp and accessible ways.

We are running a range of workshops helping Australia’s greatest employers prepare for the changes and challenges in the future of work.

And, we are running our Parenting Work Skill Certificate that helps us see how time out to care is skill enhancing and not skill deteriorating.

Let me be clear – the challenges we are going to face into the future are tremendous.

And, we will need women’s voices, insights, energy and talents to meet these challenges.

We are here to help arm women with the best information possible so that we are all better off. We are here to move past being scared and get us all deeply, passionately and righteously prepared.

Health & Medicine

5 things you didn’t realise you need to know about perimenopause

Australia’s 2025 women’s health reforms are progress, but gaps remain 

Professor Ada Cheung – clinician scientist, endocrinologist and a NHMRC/Dame Kate Campbell Research Fellow

The Australian Government’s $AU573.3 million women’s health package marks a significant step toward improving menopause care, contraception and reproductive health services.  

Developed in response to Senate inquiries, healthcare consultation and advocacy, the reforms expand Medicare coverage, reduce prescription costs and increase access to specialist care.  

That said, critical gaps remain. 

The addition of 11 new Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics – bringing the total to 33 clinics nationwide – aims to address long-standing diagnostic delays and improve multidisciplinary care.  

But demand continues to outstrip availability, particularly in regional areas. 

For menopausal women and trans people using estradiol, Australia’s persistent hormone therapy shortages remain problematic. 

This month, three new hormone therapy options were added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS): Estrogel®, Prometrium®, and Estrogel® Pro.  

Health & Medicine

Why is there a shortage of oestrogen patches in Australia… again?

While estrogen gel on the PBS is good news and provides an alternative to patch shortages, gel doesn’t suit everyone. 

Importantly, these changes are expected to benefit 150,000 Australian women annually, reducing costs from $AU400 to $AU670 per year to a capped PBS price of $AU31.60 per month (or $AU7.70 with a concession).  

This is very good news for many Australian women as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. 

For younger women, PBS coverage now includes two oral contraceptives (Yaz® and Yasmin®) for the first time in 30 years – this will benefit around 50,000 women annually.  

However, some progestin-only contraceptives are still excluded which limits options for those who cannot use estrogen-based birth control. 

The package also boosts Medicare rebates for long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) including IUDs and implants, increasing payments by up to 150 per cent to encourage bulk billing and reduce out-of-pocket costs by around $AU400 for up to 300,000 women.  

To strengthen clinical expertise, the government will fund eight ‘Centres of Training Excellence’, aimed at supporting better training for healthcare providers in reproductive health procedures. 

And there’s also a new Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments which will address midlife health risks. This $AU26 million initiative comes with a $AU12.8 million public awareness campaign 

Health & Medicine

Misogyny in medicine impacts us all

For too long, women’s healthcare has been modelled on men’s health needs, leaving critical gaps in addressing menopause and midlife health risks.  

But unlike men, menopause, which occurs at an average age of 51, brings significant metabolic changes, including increased cholesterol, weight gain and a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. 

Concerns remain though, about the consistency of care quality. 

Currently, many doctors lack the confidence to provide perimenopause or menopause-related care as there’s no mandatory training requirements and no accredited menopause care program in Australia. 

All these reforms mark progress – that’s the good news. 

The bad news is that they fall short of addressing rolling hormone therapy shortages, accredited menopause training (and gender affirming care which uses the same hormone therapies) and enforcing workplace protections.  

Australia needs bipartisan commitments to continue to develop and review women’s health policy. 

Only then will we ensure that all Australian women – regardless of income, location or age – can march forward towards accessing equitable high-quality healthcare.