What is Women’s Health Day?

Women’s Health Day is held every year on May 24 in the Netherlands. It focuses on raising awareness about the gender gap in medical research, diagnosis, and treatment. The day highlights how women are often underrepresented in clinical studies, and how their symptoms are misread or dismissed due to outdated healthcare systems. Women’s Health Day aims to change that by pushing for better research, more education, and gender-sensitive healthcare. It invites patients, professionals, and policymakers to listen, learn, and act.

This day is not only about facts, but also about experiences. It creates space for women to share their stories, ask questions, and demand answers. The goal is to break the silence around chronic illness, misdiagnosis, and pain that goes unacknowledged. Women’s Health Day is about visibility, respect, and justice in medicine. It is not just a Dutch issue, but part of a global effort to make healthcare work for everyone.

History and Origin

Women’s Health Day was launched by the Dutch foundation Voices for Women. The first event took place in Utrecht and quickly attracted national attention. It was founded in response to the growing awareness that women’s health problems are not taken seriously enough. Many women face long diagnostic delays, especially with conditions like endometriosis, long COVID, ADHD, and autoimmune disorders. The event became a platform to spotlight these issues and promote real change.

The choice of May 24 connects to the broader international movement for women’s health, but the Dutch version has its own unique focus. It combines medical talks with lived experience, scientific panels with patient-led sessions. The event takes place in the Royal Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, a central and symbolic location. It is open to anyone who wants to understand how health, gender, and knowledge intersect.

Over the years, the event has grown in size and impact. It now includes doctors, researchers, politicians, journalists, and thousands of participants. Social media campaigns have helped expand its reach, and more medical institutions have joined the conversation. Women’s Health Day is becoming a strong voice for inclusion in care and science. It reminds the public that progress in medicine must include everyone’s body and story.

Who Participates in Women’s Health Day?

• Patients and advocates: Women with lived experience share their stories and challenge outdated practices.
• Medical professionals: Doctors, nurses, and specialists join discussions on how to close the gender gap in care.
• Researchers: Experts present data and highlight the lack of representation in clinical trials.
• Policy makers: Politicians and public health officials attend to hear concerns and explore reforms.
• Educators and students: Medical students and teachers take part to promote change in future generations.

Slogans and Themes

Slogans include messages like “Not all bodies are studied equally” and “What about women?” The themes focus on visibility, inclusion, and reform. There is a strong emphasis on ending the knowledge gap in healthcare, where women are often excluded or ignored. The day calls for equal funding, better education for medical staff, and the validation of women’s health complaints. It is a call for dignity, not just data.

Colors, Symbols and Patterns

Colors:

• Red: Represents urgency, energy, and the physical side of health.
• Purple: A color linked to empowerment and collective strength.
• White: Suggests clarity, openness, and honesty in care.

Symbols:

• Stethoscope over a heart: Emphasizes care that listens and responds.
• Microscope icon: Reflects the need for focused and inclusive research.
• Speech bubble: Symbolizes voice, testimony, and dialogue.

Patterns:

• Question marks: Represent the unanswered questions women still face in care.
• Heartbeat lines: A visual link to medical monitoring and attention to the body.
• Overlapping circles: Symbolize connection, collaboration, and different systems working together.

Most Used Hashtags

• #womenshealthday
• #gapsincare
• #genderinmedicine
• #healthinequality
• #voicesforwomen

How Do You Celebrate Women’s Health Day?

• Attend the event in Utrecht: Join talks, workshops, and discussions with patients and professionals.
• Follow the livestream: Watch the program online and share key insights with others.
• Post your story: Share a personal health journey and how the system responded—or failed.
• Wear symbolic colors: Dress in red or purple to show solidarity and spark conversation.
• Read and reflect: Take time to learn more about gender bias in healthcare and how to change it.

Why Is Women’s Health Day Important?

Women’s Health Day is important because it exposes a long-standing gap in care. For too long, women’s symptoms have been misunderstood, minimized, or ignored. This day shines a light on the harm that results from poor research, lazy stereotypes, and outdated training. It pushes the medical world to see women as full participants in health, not as exceptions or mysteries. The event gives women a platform to be heard, believed, and respected.

It is also important because real change starts with real stories. Medical textbooks cannot fix what silence protects. Women’s Health Day gives shape to experiences that are often invisible, and it creates space for solidarity and action. The day is a reminder that good care starts with listening. And if medicine does not listen, women will keep raising their voices until it does.