The Victorian Women’s Health Services have launched a landmark report that outlines the economic return that investment in the Women’s Health Services sector has to Victoria.
Return on Equity: Health and economic dividends from investing in Women’s Health was commissioned by the sector and authored by Dr Angela Jackson, Lead Economist of Impact Economics and Policy. The report reveals the invaluable contributions of the Women’s Health Services to Victoria while urging for sustained government funding beyond 2023-24.
Launching the report at an online event on 23 November 2023, Dr Jackson stated that ‘the important thing to start with is that gender inequity is costly’, that ‘it is an important social determinant of health’ and that ‘it’s incredibly costly to all of us, not just women’.
For over three decades, the network of 12 Women’s Health Services has been championing best-practice models, addressing gender inequality, and enhancing the health and wellbeing of women and girls across Victoria.
It’s crucial to secure funding in the 2024-25 Victorian Budget to preserve the progress and benefits achieved, and to ensure continued support for inclusive communities, reduced healthcare costs, improved workforce participation and reduction in violence against women and girls.
The investment has enabled Women’s Health in the South East to: - expand our work into promoting mental health and wellbeing and into addressing the barriers and gender inequality through our social and health system because of climate change
- deliver free information and health promotion sessions on sexual and reproductive health and prevention of violence against women to 50 newly arrived migrant women in our region
- deliver information sessions on menopause and perimenopause to 350 women
- support the development of 10 migrant women to become peer educators in sexual and reproductive health
- roll out support to our partners on the role of gender in mental health and wellbeing including capability building to over 100 partners
- develop cultural competency for 39 allied health and health promotion professionals in our region
- deliver information and capacity building sessions on body image with a specific focus on the needs of migrant and refugee women in our region
- provide support to a network of gender equity professionals in our region.
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| We have also generated freely available resources and products to drive gender equitable practice across our region’s health system and social services and lifted our advocacy to ensure that services for women’s health and wellbeing are available. The launch also showcased the lived experience of the workers in the sector, and almost 100 delegates were able to hear about: - the work through Women’s Health Grampians supporting First Nations women in the region
- the statewide service 1800 My Options run by Women’s Health Victoria, and supported by the sector, to provide information about contraception, pregnancy options and sexual health in Victoria
- the health promotion and primary prevention work at GenWest who provide support to migrant and refugee women in the region to build confidence on their own health and wellbeing and navigate the health system
Sharing stories of our work in action demonstrates the true value that the Women’s Health Services bring to Victoria and to our economy and highlights that it is not just about the data, but also about people. You can find more about our recent work via: |
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