Sittings · Document

Adopted text 2026-09-16

Gender inequalities in health, specifically as regards gender-specific conditions

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 17 Sept 2026

Parliament's resolution sets out gender inequalities in health, especially gender-specific conditions, and asks the Commission and member states to act. It calls for sex- and gender-sensitive research, clinical trials and data collection, and for women's inclusion in trials, including pregnant and breastfeeding women. It demands gender-sensitive training for health professionals, EU guidelines on menopause, an EU action plan on endometriosis, and a European Reference Network on women's health. It asks for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including safe and legal abortion, contraception and maternity care. It calls for a dedicated EU women's health strategy with measurable targets and ring-fenced funding under Horizon Europe, the European Competitiveness Fund and EU4Health.

Key points

  1. States that health policy, medical research and clinical practice must rest on scientific evidence, biological facts about women and men, and high medical standards.
  2. Finds gender health inequalities are a fundamental rights violation rooted in male-centred medical research, and calls for coordinated EU action respecting subsidiarity.
  3. Calls on the Commission and member states to remove access barriers for vulnerable women, address geographical disparities, and use mobile units, telemedicine and transport links.
  4. Asks the Commission to set measurable targets with monitoring for a women's health strategy, and to fund health literacy and sexuality education campaigns.
  5. Calls for sex-sensitive research design across the full research cycle, including pretrial and animal testing, and for sex-disaggregated data in all EU-funded projects.
  6. Urges the EMA to consider sex and gender differences for generics and biopharmaceuticals, and welcomes its guideline on pregnant and breastfeeding participants in trials.
  7. Calls for gender-sensitive training of medical professionals, pilot programmes on gender-sensitive care, and a European Reference Network on women's health.
  8. Calls on the Commission and member states to recognise obstetric and gynaecological violence as gender-based violence, and urges the Commission to publish its recommendation on harmful practices.
  9. Asks the Council to treat abortifacient and contraceptive medicines as medicines of common interest and to include them in the EU list of critical medicines.
  10. Calls for gender-sensitive screening and vaccination targets for cancer and other diseases, and for action on harmful chemicals in cosmetics and menstrual products.
  11. Calls for gender-responsive action on cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, endometriosis, menopause, skin diseases and musculoskeletal conditions.
  12. Calls for a dedicated women's health strategy with earmarked funding, support for civil society organisations, and more women in research.

Who is affected

  • Women and girls in the EU, especially those facing poverty, disability, ethnic minority status or rural residence, who face barriers to care.
  • Member states, which are asked to act on screening, maternity care, training, data collection and access to services.
  • The Commission, which is asked to propose a women's health strategy, guidelines, funding and a recommendation on harmful practices.
  • Healthcare professionals, who are urged to apply gender-sensitive, patient-centred and non-discriminatory care and training.
  • The European Medicines Agency, which is urged to consider sex and gender differences in evaluating medicines.

Figures and deadlines

  • In 2020, only 5 % of global research and development funding went to women's health research.
  • Women experience adverse drug reactions 50 % to 75 % more often than men.
  • 72 % of studies on drug trials fail to report sex- and gender-disaggregated data.
  • Migraine production loss is estimated at EUR 111 billion in indirect costs in the EU.
  • Women make up 78 % of healthcare workers in the EU.
  • Menopause symptoms affect 85 % of women; by 2030 an estimated 1,2 billion women globally will experience menopause.
  • Endometriosis affects 10 % to 15 % of women of reproductive age and costs EUR 30 billion in sick leave annually in the EU.
  • Only 10 of the 145 983 EU-funded projects have focused specifically on endometriosis.

Legal basis: Articles 2 and 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union; Articles 8, 9, 151, 153, 157 and 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

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