October 12, 2026 — Two-thirds of women in the Netherlands say they do not always feel heard by healthcare professionals when describing symptoms, requesting referrals, or discussing various treatment options, according to a landmark new report published by the polling company Kieskompas.
The findings, which paint a stark picture of persistent systemic gaps in female healthcare, were officially sent to members of Parliament today. The data was drawn from a comprehensive survey of 14,000 women aged 16 and over across the country. Within this large sample, only a stark one in five women stated that healthcare professionals listen well to women generally.
According to the polling data, feelings of being misunderstood by medical consultants are particularly acute among women aged 25 to 54, as well as among those suffering from unexplained symptoms. Furthermore, the report revealed that fewer than half of women living with a chronic condition or disability felt that the care they received helped them sufficiently.
The Kieskompas study also highlighted a significant information gap regarding gender-specific health topics. Women reported feeling notably less well-informed about subjects that uniquely affect women—such as the menopause—than they did about general health issues. Women of all age groups expressed a strong desire for this information to be more widely accessible and called for an increase in dedicated medical research into these areas.
According to ZonMw, a major national research funding body that helped back the report, younger demographics are also feeling the informational squeeze. Girls, for instance, have indicated that they would like to know much more about how hormonal shifts can impact mental health, pointing to a wider educational and clinical blind spot that begins long before adulthood.
The ripple effects of these medical challenges extend far beyond the doctor’s office and deeply into the professional sphere. Nearly two in three women surveyed said they believed women do not feel comfortable discussing health problems at their workplace. Among women who currently deal with health problems, 63% reported that these issues have negatively affected their work life, primarily manifesting as chronic stress and lower overall productivity. Alarmingly, over a quarter of these women noted that their health struggles forced them to stop working earlier than they had originally planned.
Compounding the findings of the Kieskompas survey, a second detailed report was also presented on Monday, focusing specifically on the harrowing experiences of women who have become trapped in the medical system due to long-term, unexplained symptoms. This complementary analysis was carried out by the health research institute Nivel on behalf of the Voices for Women foundation. The research was based on qualitative surveys and personal accounts submitted directly by women, which the researchers noted is not a statistically representative sample of the entire female population.
Despite the qualitative nature of the Nivel analysis, the recurring themes were striking. A profound lack of recognition came up in almost every single account, according to reports from the Dutch news agency ANP. Within this specific subset, only one in four women said they felt heard by their care provider. Furthermore, according to ZonMw’s broader synthesis of these accumulated accounts, nearly 90% of women presenting with complex or chronic issues did not feel taken seriously by the medical establishment, and 65% reported that they frequently received a psychological diagnosis when they initially sought help for a purely physical complaint.
These compounding statistics have amplified calls for structural reform within the Dutch medical system. In an official statement responding to the publications, ZonMw emphasized that the new findings underscore an urgent necessity. The two new reports underline the urgency of the message ZonMw and others have been spreading for some time: more attention for women’s health is urgently needed across all levels of medical practice, research, and workplace policy.
