Why investing in women’s health is an investment in innovation, growth and resilience

Investing in women’s health delivers durable returns. Research improves, economies become more productive and societies weather shocks more effectively. When women’s health is viewed as capital rather than cost, results appear in laboratories, workplaces and households over time.

Momentum is building around this view as policy-makers, innovators and investors recognize that better health for half the population accelerates value creation for everyone. With the recent announcement from the Gates Foundation committing $2.5 billion to women’s health research and innovation, the signal is clear: this is where the future lies.

The task now is to sustain that momentum and translate it into action that moves budgets, policy and delivery toward clear outcomes. The Global Alliance for Women’s Health, hosted by the World Economic Forum, is organized to convert this investment logic into action.

The Champions Community, hosted within the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, is a network of influential leaders driving action for women’s health. Champions for Women’s Health help shape policy, engage key decision-makers and champion innovations that address women-specific needs.

Through strategic collaboration, the community can reframe discussions, accelerate solutions and ensure women’s health stays at the forefront of global priorities.

One key mandate for the Champions Community is to build an innovative discourse for women’s health. In this role, champions help equip senior leaders to engage decision-makers and highlight the untapped opportunities in women’s health. As these efforts expand, a new cohort of champions will carry forward the momentum across sectors and help guide a Consensus Builders Playbook for Women’s Health.

This playbook synthesizes the most robust evidence and priority messages for finance, industry and government, supporting senior leaders in engaging decision-makers who may not yet fully recognize the significant, unrealized opportunities in women’s health.

Our Champions for Women’s Health are shaping a new narrative and elevating women’s health on the global agenda by driving thought leadership and global advocacy centred on the wide-ranging benefits of investing in women’s health and wellbeing.

Our new cohort of champions brings diverse sectoral, industrial and regional perspectives that help complement our community’s efforts to close the women’s health gap holistically.

Sex-based differences in pharmacokinetics (how the body processes a drug) and pharmacodynamics (how a drug acts on the body) can influence treatment outcomes and reduce efficacy.

For example, variations in body composition, hormone levels and metabolism may affect drug exposure and response, as seen with certain cardiovascular medicines and some antidepressants.

When clinical guidelines are derived from aggregated data, these differences can be obscured, potentially limiting efficacy or increasing adverse effects. Ensuring women’s adequate participation in trials and reporting data disaggregated by sex can strengthen clinical evidence and ultimately improve health outcomes for all.

Integrating women’s biology and lived experience into research strengthens safety, sharpens discoveries and produces products that fit women’s lives.

These health gains ripple outward, boosting education, workforce participation and productivity, while reducing maternal and chronic health risks and enhancing societal resilience. By connecting a healthier female workforce, efficient health systems and women-centred research, societies can drive intergenerational prosperity, reinforce social stability and strengthen national competitiveness.

The priorities are clear: turn acknowledgement into measurable action, embedding women’s health in budgets, research, policies and products. As leaders embrace these shifts, investments grow, science improves and solutions scale, driving inclusive economies and resilient societies.

Institutions that treat women’s health as an investment should expect higher-quality science, a more productive economy and stronger resilience when future shocks arrive.

The alliance and its champions will continue to convene the right actors, align incentives and support practical steps that embed women’s health as a core driver of innovation, growth and resilience in the years ahead.