Gender inequity is pervasive in healthcare. Between stigma, delayed and incorrect diagnoses, gender bias, not being taken seriously, under-representation in clinical trials, and insufficient funding for health issues impacting women and gender diverse people, women face numerous barriers to high-quality care and equitable outcomes in healthcare. These issues are just the tip of the iceberg, and racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia further shape women’s experiences of healthcare.

This week is Women’s Health Week, which was started by the U.S. Department of Health to help raise awareness of women’s health issues. Here are three areas we as Liberal Democrat Women would like to draw attention to for this week.

Abortion

With the Trump administration continuing to attack the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare, now more than ever we as Liberal Democrats must be firm in our support for the right to choose, and in our solidarity with those who have lost that right.

Women across the globe are impacted by the actions of the Trump administration. For example, the global gag rule was reinstated in January, which prevents NGOs who provide abortion services or advocate for abortion rights from receiving aid from the US. Billions of dollars of foreign aid are affected by this, and 690 million women of reproductive agelive in countries impacted by the global gag rule. This is denying women and gender diverse people safe access to healthcare.

In the UK, Liberal Democrat Women will continue to advocate for the decriminalisation of abortion, because nobody deserves to be criminalised for accessing healthcare and making decisions over their own body. Abortion is healthcare.

Healthcare in pregnancy and the neonatal period

We as Liberal Democrat Women proposed and passed a motion at last autumn conference addressing this issue. The failures of maternity services and obstetric care are a national shame.

Services are often inadequate and unsafe, as highlighted by the Care Quality Commission. Racial inequities are horrifying. MBRRACE-UK has found that the maternal mortality rate is 3 times higher among black women than white women, and in 2023 the stillbirth rate among black babies was over double the overall UK rate. Trans and non-binary people are all too often not met with the dignity and respect they deserve when accessing obstetric care.

In our motion last year, we called for increased support for those experiencing miscarriage, mental health support after every miscarriage, more data to uncover the scale of the issues, and inclusive healthcare.

Menopause

Menopause isn’t talked about enough. A study led by UCLfound that over 90% of postmenopausal women were not taught about menopause at school. Lacking education and awareness, many women and gender diverse people don’t recognise their symptoms and are less likely to seek care early. Meanwhile, men’s lack of education on menopause leads to devastating impacts on relationships

Further preventing those experiencing menopause from accessing the care they need is a lack of education among medical professionals. Research in 2021 found that 41% of the medical schools at universities in the UK did not include compulsory menopause education. Because of this, many women suffer with menopause symptoms for years, either misdiagnosed or not receiving the care that they need to effectively deal with their symptoms.What is particularly staggering is that the economic impact of unemployment due to menopause symptoms amounts to £1.5 billion each year. Employers must also play their part and strive to be accommodating and supportive of employees going through menopause.

We need to start talking about menopause and break the stigma and shame.

Towards intersectional, feminist healthcare

Women’s Health Week is a reminder that we have a long way to go to put women’s health issues on the agenda. As Liberal Democrats, we must take an intersectional, feminist approach to fight for equitable healthcare and the elimination of stigma and bias. We need to reject the pervasive inequities in healthcare and strive for better health outcomes for all.

* Janey Little is vice chair of Lib Dem Women