Women’s Health Week and The Gender Health Gap

Carolyn Gillespie, CEO of Women’s Health in the North and chair of the Victorian Women’s Health Services Network joins us to discuss women’s health during Women’s Health Week.

We explore why Victoria’s 35-year-old women’s health infrastructure is among the best in Australia, and why gender equality is the most pressing driver of women’s health outcomes.

Jake and Joel also discuss with Carolyn the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into women’s pain, the everyday realities of the gender health gap, and what genuinely inclusive care looks like for queer women and gender diverse people.

Finally, we tackle mental health, social connection, and gender based violence as core public health issues, and share one small step listeners can take for their own wellbeing this Women’s Health Week.

Chapters

02:20 – Introducing Carolyn and inclusive definitions

06:10 – Most pressing health issues facing women

09:50 – Explaining the gender health gap simply

13:50 – Victorian parliamentary inquiry into women’s pain

17:30 – Socioeconomic and intersectional barriers to care

21:00 – Inclusive care for queer women and gender diverse folk

25:20 – Safety, loneliness and mental health connections

32:00 – Gender based violence as a public health crisis

36:00 – Funding priorities, prevention and Women’s Health Week actions

All chapter timecodes are approximate.

Want more Well Well Well?

Check out our other JOY Podcasts for more on LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing at joy.org.au/wellwellwell.

If there’s something you’d like us to explore on the show, send through ideas or questions at wellwellwell@joy.org.au

Find out more about LGBTIQ+ services and events in Victoria and South Australia at thorneharbour.org.

Produced by: Joel Parker, Jake Neville