A few weeks ago, Women’s Health Victoria had the opportunity to present to members of the Melbourne Women’s Foundation on why gender-responsive healthcare matters. From abortion access to equity in cancer care, we explored how our health system continues to fall short for women and gender-diverse people, and what it takes to drive real change.
The reality is, inequity in healthcare isn’t incidental. It’s built into the system. Changing that means going beyond surface-level fixes. It requires bold reform, equity-driven design, and investment in what truly works.
That’s where philanthropy can make a real difference.
As an innovator, philanthropy can back bold ideas that are then piloted, evaluated, and ready to be scaled, paving the way for future government investment.
As an equity investor, it can direct funding to where it’s needed most, breaking down barriers for people who are too often left behind in the health care system due to their personal circumstances, identity, geographic location or health literacy.
By supporting organisations with core funding, it can act as an enabler, strengthening charitable organisations and supporting long-term impact.
As an advocate, philanthropy can help drive the policy shifts and system-wide change needed to transform health outcomes – not just treat the symptoms.
We’re grateful to the Melbourne Women’s Foundation and Hall & Wilcox for hosting such a thoughtful conversation.
If we want better health outcomes for women and gender-diverse people, we can’t just tinker at the edges. We need to resource the people, organisations and solutions that are ready to lead real, lasting change.
