On the occasion of International Women’s Day, conversations about women’s empowerment often celebrate achievements and milestones. Yet, beyond symbolic recognition lies a deeper structural issue that continues to shape women’s professional experiences, particularly in higher education. One of the most overlooked challenges is the limited institutional understanding of women’s anatomy and the biological realities that influence women’s physical, emotional, and professional lives across different stages of life.

In societies such as Pakistan, these gaps intersect with social expectations, cultural taboos, and institutional limitations. Women in academia navigate not only demanding professional responsibilities but also biological transitions that remain largely invisible within workplace policies. Without institutional awareness of women’s biological realities, many professional challenges faced by women remain misunderstood and insufficiently addressed.

Women’s bodies undergo several biological transitions during their lifespan. Hormonal fluctuations associated with menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and later-life transitions such as menopause significantly influence physical health, emotional balance, and cognitive energy. In addition, conditions such as endometriosis, which can cause chronic pain and fatigue, further complicate women’s health experiences but remain widely under-recognised in professional environments.

These biological processes can affect mood regulation, energy levels, concentration, sleep patterns, and communication styles. However, in many professional environments, particularly within academic institutions, such realities are rarely acknowledged within workplace structures or policies. As a result, women often navigate these physiological changes quietly, without institutional understanding or support.

Taboos surrounding women’s biological needs only deepen these challenges. Avoiding open discussion about reproductive health, hormonal changes, or menstrual well-being prevents institutions from developing informed and inclusive policies. Advances in science and medicine have significantly improved understanding of women’s health and provided effective ways to manage many biological conditions. With appropriate support and awareness, women can actively participate in professional life. Women’s anatomy and biological transitions require higher education workplaces to become more understanding, responsive, and progressive so that women academics can grow professionally and contribute meaningfully to intellectual development.

A major challenge in many developing countries is the absence of institutional facilities and policy frameworks addressing women’s health. Universities and colleges often lack wellness centres, reproductive health support programmes, or counselling services designed specifically for faculty members. Without such mechanisms, women are frequently left to manage biological challenges independently through home remedies, personal coping strategies, or silent endurance.

Encouragingly, several countries have begun to recognise the importance of integrating women’s biological realities into workplace policies. For example, Spain introduced legislation allowing women to take paid leave for severe menstrual pain, acknowledging that women’s health needs deserve institutional recognition.

More broadly, many European countries have taken proactive steps to support women academics and prevent professional dropout associated with maternity and caregiving responsibilities. Policies aimed at reducing the gender salary gap often acknowledge that maternity-related career interruptions should not disadvantage women in long-term career progression.

In many research institutions across Europe, grant funding bodies now account for maternity gaps in academic careers. Women applying for competitive research grants are allowed to exclude periods of maternity leave from academic productivity calculations. This approach recognises that temporary career interruptions due to childbirth should not diminish a scholar’s professional merit or research potential.

Such policies demonstrate an important institutional understanding: women’s biological realities are not barriers to academic excellence but conditions that must be accommodated through equitable policies. By recognising maternity-related gaps and supporting flexible career structures, institutions ensure that talented women remain engaged in research, teaching, and innovation.

In contrast, policy frameworks in many developing countries remain limited. Without supportive policies addressing fertility, maternity, hormonal health, and family responsibilities, many women struggle to maintain continuous participation in professional life. The result is a gradual withdrawal of highly capable women from academic careers.

These patterns have significant consequences for women’s representation in senior academic positions. The journey towards becoming a professor requires consistent research output, sustained institutional engagement, and long-term academic visibility. When career interruptions caused by maternity or health challenges are not institutionally supported, women often face delays in promotion or reduced opportunities for advancement.

Consequently, relatively few women reach the highest academic ranks in many institutions. This underrepresentation reflects structural barriers within institutional systems rather than a lack of talent or ambition among women scholars. Without supportive policies addressing biological realities and caregiving responsibilities, academic systems unintentionally create invisible ceilings that slow women’s career progression.

Addressing these challenges requires a shift in institutional thinking. Women’s biological experiences should no longer be treated as private matters but recognised as structural realities that influence professional participation. Universities and higher education institutions must develop policies that acknowledge reproductive health, hormonal transitions, and work–life balance as integral components of academic life.

Establishing wellness centres, providing reproductive health awareness programmes, and implementing flexible career policies could significantly improve women’s professional experiences in academia. Institutions should also consider mechanisms similar to those adopted in European research systems, where maternity-related career gaps are formally acknowledged in performance evaluations and grant competitions.

As the world marks International Women’s Day, it is essential to move beyond symbolic celebration and address structural inequalities that continue to shape women’s participation in professional life. Developing countries such as Pakistan cannot achieve sustainable social and economic progress without the active involvement of women.

Supporting women’s health through institutional policies is therefore not only a matter of fairness but also a prerequisite for national development.

Sadia Shaukat and Nadia SiddiquiSadia Shaukat is Associate professor, University of Education.Nadia Siddiqui Professor of Durham University, UK.

© The Nation