Women's health has become one of the major blind spots in the global health system. This is confirmed by the latest report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which puts numbers and context to a reality that is as obvious as it is under-funded: the enormous economic, social and health opportunity that investing in women's health represents.
The study, entitled Women's Health Investment Outlook, The report examines why, despite the fact that women make up about half of the world's population, their health continues to receive disproportionately disproportionate attention and investment. According to the report, only 6 % of private investment in healthcare is targeted at women's health, and companies that focus exclusively on women's health are attracting less than 1 % of the total.
Four key conditions, $100 billion opportunity
The report includes a recent analysis by the Boston Consulting Group, which concludes that adequately treating four major conditions that specifically or disproportionately affect women could unlock up to 100 billion dollars in the United States by 2030.
These four priority areas are:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Osteoporosis
- Menopause
- Alzheimer's
These are pathologies of high prevalence and high health burden, which remain under-diagnosed, under-treated and under-served from a gender-specific perspective. The report underlines that these conditions not only have a direct impact on women's quality of life, but also on productivity, health expenditure and the well-being of society as a whole.
Why is women's health still invisible?
The authors of the report identify several structural reasons for this historical lack of attention:
- Fragmented data and few women-specific studies
- Historical biases in medical research
- Lack of women in health and financial leadership positions
- Misaligned economic incentives
Currently, about 90 % of the investment in women's health focuses on reproductive health, childbearing and specific cancers, leaving out critical areas such as heart, brain, metabolism and healthy ageing.
Even so, the report detects clear signs of change. Approximately half of private investments in women's health enterprises are in the early stages (pre-seed y seed), indicating an emerging sector with growing institutional interest. The paper highlights recent acquisitions in pelvic health, advances in diagnostics and the rise of scalable female-focused platforms.
The six broad areas of investment in women's health
The World Economic Forum identifies six areas with high growth potential in the coming years:
- Specific cancer therapies for women
- Virtual women's health and benefits management platforms
- Remote monitoring of maternal health
- Women-focused mental health platforms
- Longevity and wellness services designed from a female perspective
- Wearables and digital platforms for women's metabolic health
These areas not only represent business opportunities, but also a redefinition of the concept of women's wellness, which is more comprehensive, preventive and personalised.
The key role of the wellness and spa sector
The report points to a clear opportunity for the wellness and spa industry, traditionally linked to a largely female audience. These spaces can become natural environments for prevention, accompaniment and the adoption of innovative solutions in women's health, provided they are willing to broaden their focus beyond aesthetic care.
Concrete examples already exist: manufacturers of pelvic health devices are introducing technologies in premium gyms and high-end spas to addressing issues such as incontinence or pelvic pain, topics still shrouded in taboo, but with a direct impact on the quality of life of millions of women.
In addition, suppliers, innovators and operators in the wellness sector can play a key role in the normalisation, education and adoption of new solutions, becoming strategic allies of the healthcare system.
An opportunity aligned with longevity
The conversation about women's health connects directly to one of the great axes of contemporary wellbeing: healthy longevity. Initiatives that address women's cardiovascular, metabolic or cognitive health not only improve life expectancy, but also the years lived with quality.
As Alina Hernandez, founder of Wellness Innovation Hub, In a recent column, the spas have the opportunity to create economically sustainable models to support women's cardiovascular health, an area traditionally neglected and yet the leading cause of mortality in women.
A “ghost” market that is starting to wake up
This is not the first report to warn about this gap. Last year, Spa Business already talked about the unmet needs in women's health and sexual health as a true “multi-billion dollar ”ghost market for the wellness industry.
The difference now is that institutional interest, technological innovation and cultural change are beginning to align. The message from the World Economic Forum is clear: investing in women's health is not only a matter of equity, but one of the greatest strategic opportunities for global wellbeing..
