INVISIBILISATION. Women perform three-quarters of unpaid care work globally | Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR

Every year, International Women’s Day brings renewed attention to maternal health, reproductive rights, and gender equity. These are vital concerns. Yet, the framing of women’s health often begins and ends with motherhood.

Even after their reproductive years, women shoulder caregiving responsibilities, thus becoming the backbone of health systems. Their health, therefore, is a structural determinant of societal stability.

Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death among women. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that cardiovascular diseases account for approximately 35 per cent of deaths among women worldwide. Despite this, public discourse, and even policy investment often concentrate on maternal indicators while neglecting midlife, ageing, mental health, and chronic disease prevention among women.

Studies across multiple regions show that women prioritise family members’ health over their own, especially in low- and middle-income settings. In India, data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) have repeatedly shown gender gaps in access to nutrition, health services, and decision-making autonomy within households.

Care economy

The International Labour Organization estimates that women perform around three-quarters of unpaid care work globally. Childcare, eldercare, food preparation, water collection, and health monitoring within households are essential to public health functioning but are not captured in gross domestic product calculations. Women’s health also impacts families, clinics, schools, and workplaces.

Even when employed, women have to manage expanded care responsibilities at home. This was observed especially in women healthcare workers during the Covid pandemic. Since then, WHO has included burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

Societies depend on women’s labour in both paid and unpaid forms, yet health systems do not adequately invest in women’s long-term wellbeing beyond maternity.

A more holistic approach is urgently needed. First, health policy must adopt a life-course framework for women. This means integrating into primary health systems cardiovascular screening, metabolic health, cancer prevention beyond cervical and breast cancer, mental health services, and menopause care. Evidence shows that preventive cardiovascular screening significantly reduces long-term morbidity and mortality. This can also be adapted for resource-constrained settings.

Second, unpaid care work must be recognised as a public health variable. Social protection policies, paid family leave, community childcare systems, and eldercare support reduce caregiver strain and improve mental health outcomes. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has documented the economic and wellbeing benefits of family-friendly labour policies in multiple member states. Emerging evidence from Asia suggests similar patterns.

Third, leadership parity in health governance is essential. The Lancet Commission on Women and Health has highlighted the association between women’s political representation and improved social sector investment. Diverse leadership broadens the health agenda beyond maternal metrics.

Finally, public narratives must shift. Women are not only caregivers and mothers. They are workers, leaders, and citizens, whose health trajectories shape economic productivity and intergenerational wellbeing.

(The writer is Chief Catalyst at Swasti, an India-headquartered public health agency)

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Published on March 9, 2026