Wellcome funds a wide range of work that explores women’s health, both contemporary and historical, on subjects ranging from research ethics and women’s role in medical training to abortion stigma, female genital cutting and the health of women migrants and prisoners. This is a snapshot of some of the projects we support.

Mhairi Gibson and team have been developing an important new methodology related to uncovering the prevalence of female genital cutting (FGC). FGC has a huge impact on women’s health and is a major concern for public health policy makers. The team’s indirect questioning method has revealed the extent to which people publicly hide their views on FGC. These insights can be used to help develop more effective interventions.

Carrie Purcell at the University of Glasgow is exploring the relationship between female sexuality and the stigmatisation of abortion. There is a growing body of scholarship from the USA which demonstrates that stigma, underpinned by health inequalities, creates barriers for women seeking essential healthcare and contributes to the medical and social marginalisation of abortion.

Janet Greenlees at Glasgow Caledonian University has a Seed Award to do a pilot project as the first phase of a larger project on the international history of antenatal care. In addition to archival research, she has been working with the Poverty Alliance(opens in a new tab) to try to capture maternity stories from women living in poverty.

Read the full list of projects that raise awareness about women's health by Charli Colegate at Wellcome.