The term “FemTech,” short for female technology, was introduced in 2016 by Ida Tin a Danish entrepreneur co-founder of the menstrual tracking app Clue. Her vision was to normalise conversations about women’s health and reduce the stigma surrounding topics like menstruation and fertility, which had long been considered taboo. However, the roots of FemTech stretch back much further. The women’s health movement gained momentum in the 1960s, marked by milestones such as the FDA approval of the contraceptive pill and legal battles affirming reproductive rights around the world. These advancements laid the groundwork for addressing women’s unique health needs, yet for decades, women’s health remained underfunded and underserved within the broader healthcare system.
Since its conceptual beginnings, FemTech has evolved into a dynamic and fast-growing sector that leverages technology to address a wide range of women’s health issues. It encompasses a broad range of technological solutions addressing female biology’s health needs. These include medical devices, apps, wearables, diagnostic tools and services that attend to areas such as menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy, menopause and general healthcare tailored to women’s anatomy.
The industry is not limited to reproductive health; it also includes solutions for conditions like osteoporosis, heart disease and mental health. By leveraging technology to provide personalised healthcare solutions, FemTech empowers women with greater autonomy over their health decisions.
In the last decade, it has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry with significant advancements in technology and funding. The global market was valued at approximately $51 billion in 2021 and is projected to exceed $177 billion by 2032 according to research carried out by Astute Analytica.
This growth is fuelled by several factors. Historically, healthcare innovation has been predominantly male-focused, leaving significant gaps in addressing women-specific conditions, which FemTech is now working to fill. It is profoundly impacting the broader healthcare industry. By producing sex-specific data that has long been neglected, it addresses critical gaps in medical research and supports the creation of treatments that consider gender differences in disease manifestation and therapeutic response. This directly tackles the well-known, and often controversial, women’s health gap.
It also empowers women to take charge of their health. Through personalised tools such as wearable devices and at-home diagnostics, women can track symptoms, monitor fertility and manage chronic conditions with greater autonomy. This shift towards self-care equips women with actionable data, enabling them to make informed decisions and advocate for themselves in medical settings. Additionally, FemTech is improving access to care through telemedicine platforms and culturally sensitive solutions that cater to underserved populations, including those in rural or low-income areas.
Innovation is another mark of FemTech’s impact on healthcare. By integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning, FemTech companies are advancing diagnostic tools that improve accuracy and enable early intervention for complex conditions. Beyond technology, the sector is also normalising conversations around stigmatised topics like menstrual health and menopause. This cultural transformation reduces stigma and encourages open discussions about women’s health needs.
The rise of female leadership within the industry has been instrumental, as women are increasingly founding and leading FemTech startups, driving innovation from within the communities they serve. Despite its significant promise, it faces notable challenges, including limited funding, as the sector receives only about 3% of all digital health investments. However, the economic potential of FemTech extends far beyond direct revenue. According to the World Economic Forum, investing $300 million in women-centric research could generate $13 billion in economic gains by enhancing workplace productivity and reducing healthcare costs. Additionally, affordable innovations, such as reusable menstrual products, have the potential to address global issues like period poverty, particularly benefiting low-income women and underserved communities.
At Partner Executive we believe that the evolution of FemTech shows a broader shift towards making women’s health a priority rather than an afterthought. It is not just transforming women’s health, it is reshaping the entire healthcare industry by prioritising inclusivity, innovation and patient empowerment. Its ability to close the gender health gap while driving economic growth highlights its dual role as a social equaliser and economic driver. However, as we consider the future of FemTech, it raises critical questions: what other overlooked areas of healthcare could benefit from similar innovation? How can we ensure that this revolution benefits all women regardless of geography or income? These questions underline the sector’s potential not just to disrupt but also to redefine what equitable healthcare looks like in the 21st century.
