ILO: Social Health Protection Crucial for Women’s Equality

The ILO says the publication comes at a critical time, as setbacks in access to health and reproductive services are being reported in several countries, even as some regions expand overall health coverage.

A new policy brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that without gender-responsive social health protection systems, millions of women will continue to face barriers to healthcare access and income security — particularly during sickness, maternity and old age.

Released to mark International Women’s Day under the theme Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls, the brief — Social health protection for gender equality — sets out practical recommendations for designing social health protection systems that deliver meaningful results for women and girls.

A Pivotal Moment for Women’s Health

The ILO says the publication comes at a critical time, as setbacks in access to health and reproductive services are being reported in several countries, even as some regions expand overall health coverage.

Despite legal guarantees of equal access in many jurisdictions, structural labour market inequalities mean women do not benefit equally in practice.

“Social security and health are fundamental human rights,” the ILO notes. “Yet inequalities in the labour market contribute to a situation where women do not benefit equally.”

Labour Market Gaps Drive Health Inequality

The brief highlights several structural factors that undermine women’s effective access to social health protection:

• Women shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work

• Higher likelihood of informal employment

• Lower wages and earnings gaps

• Interrupted careers due to caregiving responsibilities

These factors reduce women’s contributions to contributory schemes, limit eligibility for benefits, and increase exposure to financial hardship when seeking care.

Designing Systems That Work for Women

The ILO argues that gender equality must be embedded at the core of social protection and health policy design, rather than treated as an add-on.

Key recommendations include:

• Designing benefit packages that reflect women’s health needs across the life course

• Ensuring quality health services are available close to where women live

• Strengthening financial protection through broad risk pooling

• Addressing social determinants that drive health inequalities

The brief stresses that health systems must account for both gender-specific needs — including sexual and reproductive health — and broader economic vulnerabilities linked to labour market disparities.

Maternity, Income Security and Beyond

Beyond healthcare access, the ILO underscores the importance of income security during maternity and illness. Effective social protection systems should protect women from income loss while ensuring access to needed services.

The brief also draws attention to older women, who often face:

• Higher risks of poverty

• Lower pensions due to lifetime earnings gaps

• Greater unmet care needs

• Increased vulnerability to ill health

Aligning health protection with income security and care policies can help close these gaps and promote dignity throughout women’s lives.

A Human Rights Imperative

The ILO frames social health protection not only as a policy tool but as a human rights obligation. Systems that fail to account for gender disparities risk entrenching inequality rather than reducing it.

By placing gender equality at the centre of health and social protection reforms, the organization argues, governments can strengthen resilience, improve health outcomes and ensure that progress toward universal health coverage benefits women and girls equally.

As policymakers mark International Women’s Day, the ILO’s message is clear: achieving gender equality in health requires structural reform — not just expanded coverage, but systems designed with women’s realities in mind.