Advocacy and New Standards Advance Women's Healthcare in Sweden

Recent developments highlight a focused push to improve women's healthcare services and workplace health conditions in Sweden. Ulrika Glans, a Moderate Party candidate in Västra Götaland, criticized the Social Democrats for their management of healthcare priorities within the region. She emphasized that despite increased state funds, local authorities have not sufficiently allocated resources to women's health services such as maternity care, mental health support for women, menopause awareness, and breast cancer screening participation. Glans called for a transparent dialogue on resource use and accountability, challenging the current leadership for failing to prioritize women's healthcare adequately.

Parallel to political debates, regulatory scrutiny has been directed at midwifery practices. The Swedish Health and Care Inspectorate (Ivo) has issued criticism of a midwife's handling of home births, pointing to unsafe practices including the oral prescription of medications except in emergencies, missing individual prescriptions, and inadequate record-keeping. The midwife is now required to submit a corrective report to Ivo outlining actions to remedy these shortcomings.

On the workplace front, an international ISO standard has been introduced to integrate women's health issues, especially menopause and hormonal health, into organizational health and safety frameworks. Prompted by findings such as those from Womni's Menopause Report 2025, which reveals many women experience menopause symptoms that negatively affect work performance and well-being, the new standard seeks to equip employers with policies, leadership training, and practical tools fostering sustainable, equitable workplaces. Yogobe, a company providing digital health solutions, offers tailored programs supporting women's health throughout different life stages, including pregnancy and menopausal transitions. CEO Philippa Ergel highlighted this standard's role in recognizing women’s health as a structural workplace issue and enabling systematic employer support.

The concurrent political advocacy for better women’s healthcare funding, regulatory enforcement of safe midwifery practices, and the adoption of new workplace health standards signal a comprehensive move towards prioritizing women's health needs across Sweden’s healthcare and labor sectors.