locally, nationally and globally. The United Nations has produced an updated global strategy for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health (World Health Organization (WHO), 2015). The strategy highlights that these groups continue to face many interrelated health challenges that are underpinned by poverty, inequality and marginalisation. Despite progress, there are societies that are still failing women, and the UK could be one of these. Gender-based discrimination, as experienced by women globally, has the potential to lead to economic, social and health disadvantages for women that can impact adversely on their own and their families’ wellbeing. There are 26 million women and adolescent girls in their childbearing years worldwide who are in need of humanitarian assistance (United Nations Population Fund, 2015). Gender equality is essential to health and to development. In England the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dame Sally Davies, called for action on women’s health in her latest CMO’s Report (Davies et al, 2015). The report addresses a range of health issues that have a disproportionally negative impact on women, putting their health at risk. While women do live longer than men, it must be acknowledged that a greater proportion of their lives are affected by disability. Women in England have shorter life expectancies than women in other EU countries, for example Greece and Portugal (Davies et al, 2015). As a group, women are paid less than men and experience certain human rights disadvantages: increased rates of rape, domestic violence, ‘honourbased’ violence and trafficking (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2014). Obesity is a key concern and the report calls for the Government to tackle obesity in the Protecting women’s health