The health of women isn’t a “niche.” It’s healthcare, and it’s massive.

You’ve likely seen conversation after conversation declaring that women’s health is no longer a niche market. But let’s be clear: calling it niche in the first place was never accurate.

Women make up half the world’s population and are responsible for roughly 80% of healthcare decisions for their families. Women aren’t a small subset of the healthcare economy. We are central to it. So why has the industry historically treated women’s health like a side category? (mckinsey.com)

It was framed that way, but it was never actually small

For decades, women’s health has lived behind a semantic wall. It’s been labeled as specialty care, or reproductive wellness, rather than simply being recognized as healthcare for half the population. Even in investment circles, it’s described as a category, not as a core part of the system.

But the idea that women’s health is niche just doesn’t hold up when you look at the numbers.

This is a major market that’s only getting bigger

Some proof points:

• The global women’s health market was valued at nearly 50 billion dollars in 2024 and is expected to grow steadily through 2030 (grandviewresearch.com).
• Investment in women’s health continues to grow, even as other parts of the health tech market shrink. In 2023, investment in women’s health rose by 5 percent while overall healthcare funding declined (deloitte.com).
• Venture capital and private equity firms are increasingly looking at menopause, chronic disease, mental health, oncology, and digital diagnostics as part of the women's health landscape. (weforum.org)

These are not the numbers of a niche category. These are the signs of a maturing, high-growth sector.

But funding still lags behind the need

Despite the market size, women’s health still receives a disproportionately small share of global healthcare investment. It currently attracts about 6 percent of private healthcare funding, despite the fact that women represent roughly 50 percent of the population and drive the majority of care decisions. (weforum.org)

This gap isn’t about lack of opportunity. It’s a reflection of decades of structural bias in research, development, and marketing. That’s slowly starting to shift. But awareness alone won’t close the gap.

The impact goes beyond the financials

I may be biased but ….

I’ve gotten my period every month since I was 12. I’ve done the yearly Pap smears. I’ve grown and birthed three children. I’ve dealt with a chronic condition called interstitial cystitis that took far too long to diagnose. I’m entering the world of regular mammograms and preparing for the confusing (and under-researched) years of perimenopause and menopause. And one day, I’ll walk my daughter through this entire journey — reliving it all while trying to make it easier for her.

And still, I’ve said to my mom more times than I’d like to admit, “I wish I had been a boy.” Not because I actually want to be one, but because sometimes it feels like being a woman, medically speaking, is an uphill battle that never ends.

And this feeling I have isn’t a niche experience. It’s a shared one.

What comes next?

The shift we need isn’t only about more funding. It’s about a mindset change. We need to move away from vague language like “empowering women” and start using words that actually describe what’s being delivered.

That means messaging that reflects the real, layered lives women lead. It’s better diagnostics, smarter care models, earlier intervention, and research that actually includes us. And its visuals and stories that go beyond women doing yoga. Show the mom wrangling her kids into the car before work. The woman collapsing in her hotel room after a 14-hour day before heading to a client dinner. The ones caregiving for their elderly mother, while working, and managing their own health, all at once. That’s the reality. That’s who healthcare should be speaking to.