Gaps in Women’s Consumer Health Needs – Pakistan Perspective – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1206

Gaps in Women’s Consumer Health Needs – Pakistan Perspective – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1206

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1206 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here.

Credit: Muneeb Malhotra

Credit: Muneed Malhotra

Credit: Karola G

Credit: Tima Miroshnichenko

Preamble

This 2-part blog post synthesizes the key insights from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) article “Closing the Gap in Women’s Consumer Health Needs”, why women’s health needs are widely underserved in the consumer market, how this impacts both women and businesses, and what companies should do to address this unmet opportunity. Link at the end. 

Women’s Health Needs in Pakistan – The Unmet Reality

In Pakistan, women’s health challenges are compounded by cultural norms, limited access to healthcare, and underinvestment in gender-specific research and products. Although women represent roughly half the population and are often primary health decision-makers for their families, their unique consumer health needs are rarely fully understood or met by existing products and services.

High Burden of Underserved Conditions

Pakistan faces significant burdens in women’s health areas that are either unique to women or manifest differently in women.

Reproductive and maternal health: Pakistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios. Gaps in prenatal, postnatal, and menstrual health support are chronic.

Anemia and micronutrient deficiencies: Sexual and reproductive health demands contribute to persistently high rates of anemia among Pakistani women.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and menstrual disorders are common but frequently misunderstood, under-diagnosed, and mistreated.

Osteoporosis risk increases after menopause, yet awareness, screening, and fortified nutritional support remain low.

Mental health: Depression and anxiety, often linked to gender-based stressors, are under-recognized and undertreated.

Many consumer health solutions available in Pakistan are either generic products or imported offerings geared toward broad populations. Few are tailored to the symptom patterns and lived experiences of Pakistani women.

Consumer Health in Pakistan: Cultural, Economic, and Accessibility Barriers

Limited Local Research on Women’s Health Needs: Just as BCG noted limited gender-specific research globally, in Pakistan local data on women’s health preferences, symptom profiles, satisfaction with products, and unmet needs is scarce. Most consumer health R&D uses global trends that may not reflect Pakistani women’s realities, including dietary patterns, climate-related health stressors, and cultural health beliefs.

Without robust local research, companies design products that don’t resonate with women’s unique needs. Marketing messaging fails to connect. Health systems lack actionable insights into women’s symptom patterns, preventive behaviors, or product utilization.

Economic Constraints and Price Sensitivity: Many Pakistani women (and their families) make purchasing decisions based on cost sensitivity and perceived value. An expensive “women’s health” supplement or product, even if clinically relevant, may be out of reach without evidence of efficacy and affordability. This dynamic intensifies the gap between consumer desire for effective solutions and capacity to spend on them, particularly for preventive or maintenance-oriented products.

How Women Navigate Consumer Health in Pakistan

Pakistan’s women make health decisions within a complex social ecosystem of family influence, traditional care systems, and emerging digital resources.

Pakistani women often guide not only their own health choices, but also decisions for children and elderly family members. Yet this influence is rarely translated into products tailored for their specific experiences.

Many women in Pakistan turn to home remedies or traditional healers for conditions like menstrual cramps, digestive complaints, or fatigue long before seeking formal consumer health products. This reflects gaps in trust, awareness, accessibility, and relevance.

Women in urban centers may have better access to consumer products and pharmacy services, but rural women often lack both availability and awareness of tailored products. Distribution networks are relatively weak outside large cities.

Strategic Opportunities – Meeting Pakistani Women Where They Are

Despite these gaps, there are compelling opportunities for businesses, nonprofit organizations, and health systems to improve women’s consumer health outcomes in Pakistan.

Invest in Local, Gender-Specific Research: Stakeholders must fund and conduct high-quality research that explores:

• Symptom profiles unique to Pakistani women

• How cultural beliefs influence product usage

• Economic thresholds for product purchase

• Barriers to seeking consumer health products

Public–private research collaborations between universities, government, and industry can generate actionable insights.

Tailor Products Across Life Stages: Women’s health needs change significantly from puberty through menopause and beyond. Targeted product development could focus on:

• Adolescence and menstrual health

• Iron and micronutrient support

• Digestive and gut health tailored to women

• Bone health in pre- and post-menopause

• Stress, sleep, and hormonal balance

This life-stage approach respects biological and lifestyle differences, enhancing relevance and satisfaction.

Affordable Innovation for Price-Sensitive Market

Affordability isn’t just a feature; it is a necessity. Solutions should be designed with cost-effective formulas and delivery mechanisms that align with Pakistani women’s purchasing power without compromising quality.

This can include:

• Fortified supplements priced for mass markets

• Bundled preventive care packs (iron + multivitamins + probiotics)

• Community education combined with low-cost product rollouts

Empathetic, Culturally Sensitive Messaging

Marketing and health communication must reflect local language nuances, cultural concepts of health and wellness, and women’s daily challenges, not just clinical symptom lists.

Health communication campaigns can partner with community influencers, female professionals, and trusted public figures to improve resonance.

Measuring Impact – What Success Looks Like

Progress in Pakistan can be measured through both health outcomes and market signals.

Health Outcome Metrics

• Increased prevalence of iron and vitamin sufficiency

• Reduced burden of female-related chronic complaints

• Improved self-reported satisfaction with health products

• Increased preventive health actions among women

 Market Indicators

• Growth in category uptake for women-focused health products

• Repeat purchase behavior indicating product relevance

• Urban and rural usage parity

• Cross-segment product portfolios reflecting life stages

Sum Up

The gaps identified by the BCG report are not just abstract market inefficiencies; in Pakistan, they are real barriers to health, well-being, and economic participation for millions of women. Women make most health decisions for their families, yet their own health needs often fall between the cracks of product design, research workflows, and health messaging.

Addressing these gaps is not only good business; it is a societal imperative. Women’s consumer health can’t be an afterthought; it must be integral to how companies innovate, how governments invest in health infrastructure, and how civil society engages with communities.

Stakeholders across Pakistan can close the gap in women’s consumer health needs,  improving lives while unlocking a large, largely unaddressed market.

The time for action is now. Pakistan can lead not only in health outcomes but in inclusive consumer health innovation, one that truly reflects the needs and experiences of its women.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intent to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, any claim is lodged, it will be acknowledged and duly recognized immediately.

Reference:

https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/closing-the-gap-in-womens-consumer-health-needs?utm_campaign=none&utm_description=ealert&utm_topic=none&utm_geo=global&utm_medium=email&utm_source=esp&utm_content=Dec%2019,%202025&mktNoTrack=1&mkt_tok=Nzk5LUlPQi04ODMAAAGe1ekdOidM_JmemNnktYrwVKTO3uEclg5AboLmUug5iLzenUP5ZorWmqZogEvIkHUC1YhI6K77mqfjLtbjxPYJQCgl7wnU1gQzrDNv-qVrtSNLGHM