European Parliament calls to close the women’s health gap
The European Parliament has today adopted a report dedicated to women’s health, a Renew Europe initiative calling for a major shift in Europe’s approach to women’s health. It addresses inequalities across the entire healthcare cycle, from who is represented in medical research and clinical trials to how women are diagnosed, treated and cared for.
For decades, medical research was largely built around the male body, leaving gaps in what we know about how diseases, medicines and treatments affect women. Today, 72% of drug trial studies still fail to report data broken down by sex and gender, while just 5% of global research and development funding went to women’s health research in 2020.
Led by Renew Europe rapporteur Billy Kelleher MEP (Fianna Fáil/Ireland), the report calls for better representation of women in clinical trials, better collection and use of sex-disaggregated health data and better training for healthcare professionals.
“Women’s health has been under-researched, underfunded and too often overlooked for far too long. The consequences are felt by millions of women who wait too long for a diagnosis or struggle to get the care they need. Parliament is sending a clear message today: women’s health must move up the political agenda and be treated as the major health priority it is”
MEP Billy Kelleher
The report also strengthens Parliament’s position on sexual and reproductive health and rights. It strongly supports the European Citizens’ Initiative My Voice, My Choice and reiterates the call for sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the right to safe, legal and accessible abortion, to be included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The report calls on the Commission to develop a specific EU women’s health strategy, backed by monitoring, clear indicators and dedicated funding. It calls for targeted investment in women’s health and gender-specific conditions through EU programmes including Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund, as well as dedicated funding to close gaps in women’s health data.
“Investing in women’s health is an investment in Europe’s future. Estimates suggest that closing the investment gaps in women’s healthcare could add $1 trillion to the global economy every year by 2040. Europe should seize that opportunity by putting women’s health at the heart of our research and innovation agenda. Greater investment can improve the lives of millions of women while driving scientific progress and economic growth. We have the expertise to lead this change and now we need the political ambition to match it.”
Billy Kelleher
