How the male-default blind spot has cost women years of health

Women live longer than men but spend around 25% more of their lives in poor health, with delayed diagnosis and treatment among the factors contributing to a significant loss of productivity.

In this Health Industry Hub podcast, Dr Talia Avrahamzon, Head of Policy of Projects and Advocacy at Research Australia, and Lorna Elliot, Director of Corporate Affairs and Business Development at Besins Healthcare, confront the gaps that prompted the Women’s Health Research Roadmap developed through a partnership between Research Australia and Besins Healthcare.

“This isn’t a marginalised group,” said Dr Avrahamzon. “This is 51% of the population.”

The first cracks in the status quo are showing. The 2025–26 Federal Budget included a series of targeted initiatives in women’s health. But meaningful progress requires looking beyond reproductive health to the full course of women’s lives and navigating the complex federal-state policy landscape to create a more coherent approach to women’s health.

“Until we have equity in health research, we are not going to see equity in health outcomes,” commented Dr Avrahamzon.

Against the backdrop of the National Women’s Health Strategy and National Women’s Health Advisory Council, the roadmap recommends ways to strengthen women’s health research and policy. But recommendations are only one part of the story. The harder question is what success looks like in a fiscal environment where competing priorities are constant.

“One of the things that I’ve noticed going to many women’s health conferences is how few men are in the room,” emphasised Elliot. “Until we’re all on the same page and we’re all interested in making change happen, it won’t happen as quickly as we want it to.”

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