The politics of women’s health, menopause and gender: a comparative policy analysis of Norway, England and Denmark

The problem of women’s health is closely tied to questions of gender equality and social justice, reflected through institutional recognition, representation and redistribution (Fraser, 2008). In the contemporary era, with strong anti-gender movements combined with the neoliberal governance of modern welfare states, problems related to gender are made controversial and ideological. However, grassroot movements are renewing a focus on women’s health through claims of gender equality, human rights and social justice. We elucidate how questions surrounding women’s health surface in current policy, how they are made and framed, and in which ways they are spun toward a horizon of social justice and feminist futures. Our research questions is: How is the problem of women’s health and menopause represented in recent healthcare policy papers and initiatives in Norway, Denmark, and England, and, how is the relationship between women’s health, justice, and gender equality problematized and framed? Our ongoing comparative policy analysis is inspired by Bacchi’s (2009, 2016) WPR approach, and we understand gender as a social and political structure tied to a historical division of labor (Fraser, 2022). Preliminary analysis suggests that the problem representation of women’s health is closely tied to women’s reproductive function and, particularly, to maternity. This representation casts shadows on women’s health throughout the life course, not least on menopause which is almost invisible in Denmark and Norway. Whereas England has identified menopause as a key area in their women’s health strategy, Norway has launched their first one (2024) proclaiming improvements in all areas of women’s health focusing on the life course. In Denmark however, ongoing initiatives for bringing women’s health into politics have created a public discourse calling for fairness in health, but no official policy yet exists. Importantly, these are welfare states characterized by gender equality policy over many decades and the absence of menopause is a ‘blind spot’ which indicates an epistemic injustice that has contributed to its silence, silencing and stigma.