‘To be honest, taboos have an impact on mental health’
And there are still quite a few of them: Incontinence is in first place, closely followed by sexuality or intimacy - around a fifth of the population are reluctant to address these topics. Among Gen Z, 15 per cent - twice or three times as many as in all other age groups - state that body image and eating disorders are topics they do not like to talk about. The baby boomer generation is the most relaxed: 60 per cent have no inhibitions about talking about women's health issues, compared to only 46 per cent of the population as a whole. A comparison of the provinces shows that Carinthians tend to have reservations, while the Viennese are particularly open: Only 37 per cent of respondents in Carinthia, but 52 per cent of those in Vienna, state that there is no topic relating to women's health that they would be reluctant to talk about. A look at mental health shows just how important this is, as people who can talk about their well-being with others feel much better. While almost 40 per cent of those who do not have someone to talk to rate their mental health as (rather) poor, only half (19%) of those who talk to their partner do so. Discussions with doctors, family or friends also show similarly strong effects.
BIPA Managing Director Medical Products & Category Eva Paschinger: ‘Talking about it helps. That's why we are addressing women's issues openly and directly with our new campaign.’ The BIPA initiative ‘Honestly said’ presented today addresses, for example, what monthly menstrual cramps feel like. It addresses the fact that the double burden of work and family continues to affect women, and it shows the high social pressure on girls and women. According to the current study, one in four women state that they are currently feeling mentally unwell. Among young people between the ages of 14 and 29, the figure is as high as 30 per cent. Mental health is rated worse in large cities than in rural areas (28% vs. 19%). The causes range from constant tiredness to exhaustion, self-doubt and the feeling of being left alone - 23 per cent also cite the double burden of work and family. ‘Our aim with the campaign is not to provoke, but to discuss these important issues. Only then will it be possible to find solutions together and finally move supposed women's issues to the centre of our society, where they belong,’ says Paschinger.
Only a third talk to their partner, the workplace is taboo
When it comes to women's health issues, friends and gynaecologists are the number one point of contact for just over half of Austrians. A third talk to family members, followed by their partner. Female health issues are hardly ever discussed in the workplace. This is only an option for nine per cent of respondents. Markus Geyer: ‘We spend a large part of our day at work, so talking about topics such as menstruation, menopause or mental load should be a matter of course here too. As an employer, we clearly see it as our responsibility to promote discourse and so we have launched various initiatives to break down taboos and provide information.’ Since the beginning of April, BIPA employees throughout Austria have been receiving vouchers for free period products. In doing so, the company not only aims to provide financial relief, but also to remove taboos from the topic itself. All male colleagues also receive the vouchers, as it should be a matter of course to know about sanitary towels and tampons and to provide these for female family members, says the managing director.
Need to catch up in terms of knowledge transfer
As part of a knowledge test, the study asked respondents about their knowledge of menstruation, menopause, endometriosis and gender medicine. The result: 40 per cent of all respondents - 55 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women - did not know how long a menstrual cycle lasts on average. One in five men was even absolutely certain that the suggested duration of 21 to 35 days could not possibly be correct. Almost a quarter of Austrians also believe that physical activity can increase symptoms. When it came to the menopause, the majority of respondents correctly estimated the average age of onset. However, knowledge about symptoms, treatments such as hormone therapy or the influence on mental health is only really available with increasing age. While only 32 per cent of millennials state that they have a lot or enough knowledge, this figure is twice as high among baby boomers (61%) - knowledge increases significantly with age among women, while it remains low among men. Among friends and family, only a third of women talk about the menopause, compared to just under 10 per cent of men. Gen Z is best informed about endometriosis - one of the most common abdominal diseases in women - but more than half of men and 23 per cent of women do not know which characteristics best describe this chronic disease, which affects around 300,000 women in Austria.
Dr Miriam Hufgard-Leitner, MSc. is a gender medicine expert and senior physician for internal medicine at Vienna General Hospital and knows the problem of myths when it comes to women's health: ‘You can find so much information on the internet these days. But a lot of it is contradictory, incomplete or simply wrong.’ The doctor is referring, for example, to the myth that sport increases menstrual cramps or that hot flushes are completely normal during the menopause. Challenges in obtaining information are also evident in the survey: more than half of women are unsure whether the information provided is credible, they also lack personal experience reports (50%), 47 per cent see incomplete or contradictory information as a problem, and almost as many have difficulty understanding medical terminology. ‘Women's health must come out of the ivory tower of science. It is necessary to use understandable language and low-threshold communication channels in order to communicate widely and promote health literacy,’ explains Dr Miriam Hufgard-Leitner, MSc, who supports the BIPA campaign “Honestly said” with her expertise. This includes the topic of gender medicine, as women and men often have different symptoms for the same illnesses and medication does not have the same effect on both sexes - as six out of ten respondents are aware.
Women's health needs seriousness, not just attention
The survey reveals clear differences between the sexes, and not only in terms of knowledge about women's health. If you ask whether female issues in particular are taken seriously enough in society, it turns out that significantly more men are of this opinion than women. For example, when it comes to mental load and the compatibility of work and family: only 32 per cent of women, but 45 per cent of men, are convinced that the topic is given enough weight in public. Thomas Schwabl, Managing Director of marketagent: ‘Attention alone does not mean that those affected feel taken seriously and understood. The fact that men have a different perception here is also shown elsewhere in our study, where the majority state that they provide emotional support and help with everyday complaints. This may well be the case, but it is surprising that only a third of respondents discuss women's health with their partner.’ The gap is similarly wide when it comes to menstrual cramps - half of men but only just over a third of women agree that the topic receives sufficient attention. Incidentally, women also repeatedly experience that their health concerns are not taken seriously when they visit the doctor: four out of ten women have had this experience.
‘The study results were a clear confirmation for us that it is exactly the right time to bring women's issues, and women's health in particular, more into the public discourse. We are launching an information offensive on the various BIPA channels that is not a one-off campaign but a long-term commitment. And we are also targeting men with this campaign,’ says Eva Paschinger, who is also the spokesperson for the “Honestly said” campaign. There is certainly a desire for more information and health services in specialised drugstores. 57 per cent of women would also like to see community services to discuss women's health.
*About the study:
A total of 1,548 people in Austria aged between 14 and 75 were surveyed for the study in February and March 2025. The survey is representative of the Austrian population. It was conducted by the online market research institute Marketagent.
About the ‘Honestly said’ initiative:
‘Honestly said’ is an initiative of the Austrian drugstore chain BIPA, which aims to bring women-specific topics into the broad, public discourse. It deliberately addresses not only women, but also men, because women's issues concern everyone. The campaign is not intended to lecture or provoke, but rather to discuss and find solutions together. To this end, there will be more information on BIPA channels on topics such as women's health, mental load, self-confidence and empowerment as well as mental health and work-life balance. In addition to a website where numerous female experts have their say on these topics, webinars and workshops, influencer collaborations on social media and various community offerings are also planned for the future.
Further information: www.bipa.at/cp/ehrlichgesagt
