Gates Foundation pledges $2.5 billion for women’s health research

Saying it’s aiming to spur more investments in areas that get too little attention, the Gates Foundation says it plans to invest $2.5 billion in women’s health research over the next five years.

The foundation says it plans to invest in maternal health and other areas of women’s health that haven’t received robust support in health research and development.

Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the Gates Foundation’s Gender Equality Division, said the aim is to “spark a new era of women-centered innovation.”

“For too long, women have suffered from health conditions that are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored,” Zaidi said in a statement announcing the investment.

Even with the commitment, Zaidi said women’s health research needs much more funding and pointed to studies of women’s health as a smart area for investment.

“This is the largest investment we've ever made in women’s health research and development, but it still falls far short of what is needed in a neglected and underfunded area of huge human need and opportunity,” said Zaidi.

“Women’s health is not just a philanthropic cause—it’s an investable opportunity with immense potential for scientific breakthroughs that could help millions of women,” she said. “What’s needed is the will to pursue and follow through.”

The foundation said it is putting money into more than 40 innovations and is focusing on five primary areas.

• Obstetric care and maternal immunization;
• Maternal health and nutrition;
• Gynecological and menstrual health;
• Contraception, with the goal of offering more accessible and effective options;
• Sexually transmitted infections.

Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, said women’s health has been underfunded for too long.

“Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health,” Gates said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “That must change. But we can’t do it alone.”

The Gates Foundation is imploring governments, the private sector and philanthropists to invest more in women’s health. The foundation says that every dollar invested in women’s health generates $3 in economic growth. The organization will focus on challenges in countries with lower and middle incomes.

Other healthcare leaders have been working to draw more attention - and money - to women’s health.

Carolee Lee, the chief executive officer of Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM), has been working to draw more funding for women’s health research. The group released a report in January making the case for greater investments in women’s health.

In a January interview with Chief Healthcare Executive®, Lee said women’s health research has been short-changed, but there are significant opportunities for investment. WHAM’s report projects a $30 billion market for women’s health by 2030. WHAM has collaborated with KPMG to accelerate investments in women’s health research.

“Women are not a niche market,” Lee said in the January interview.

“Societies are healthier if women are healthier,” she added. “Women are 51% of the population. If we're not healthy, our families are not healthy.”

Advocates for women’s health have touted the need to invest more in maternal health, as America’s maternal mortality rate has increased over the past two decades. Leaders such as Lee have also pushed for more investment in menopause studies, an area that’s received scant attention.

“Menopause used to be a dirty word,” Lee said in January. “You didn't talk about it. It didn't matter that half the population is female and is going to go through menopause.”

• Read more: Halle Berry shares her mission to rebrand menopause