Southeast Asian women are turning to femtech for answers

For a long time, medical research has been male-dominated - researchers and subjects in clinical trials are typically male, which led to a predominant one-gender-fits-all approach towards medical diagnosis and solutions.

However, what differentiates the male and female body goes far beyond the reproductive system. According to healthcare industry analyst, Suchismita Das, 

“In chronic conditions such as diabetes, women experience different symptoms to men. So in an era of precision medicine and precision health, we need to acknowledge that it is time for women to receive gender-specific treatment and care.” (Source: CNA).

In our survey with N=3,000 females in Southeast Asia (N=500 each from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam), we find out what are some challenges women face in understanding their health, and how they are turning to femtech for answers.

How it’s like for a woman to understand her body

In Southeast Asia, female health and wellness remain largely taboo and obscured. Period blood (and hence, females during their period) is considered unclean and thus taboo in many cultures, and the double standards for men and women’s sexual freedom makes access to understanding the women body even more difficult.

However, a growing industry is setting out to challenge that: femtech. Femtech refers to a range of health software and tech-enabled products or services that address female medical and health needs, in areas including: period health, sexual wellness, fertility and infertility, pregnancy and postpartum, wellness and menopause.

Our survey found that 85% of Southeast Asian women faced difficulty finding information / resources related to female health and wellness, with some of the most common areas being: fertility and infertility (30%) and menopause (29%).

Despite living in an internet era where information is available everywhere, it can be difficult for women to start or navigate through their search for answers when prior education to female health through family and school is still very much limited. One of the most common reasons for facing difficulty finding information is ‘I don’t know what kinds of resources/information I should be looking for’ (42%), and ‘Not sure about credibility of the resources I found’ (40%).

For instance, despite the fact that most women undergo menopause at some point later in their lives, menopause is is one of the top areas that women don’t understand about. It is not often openly talked about due to the shame associated with ageing, or even a subject of “jokes” aimed at women’s changing temperament or libido.

Despite Singapore’s business hub status for femtech, not many Singapore women are using them

In the first quarter of 2021, there were 24 femtech startups in Singapore, more than half of the share in the ASEAN region (41 in total). However, our survey found that only 23% of Singapore women are using a femtech product or service.

Meanwhile, there are 6 femtech startups in Thailand, 3 each in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam and 2 in Malaysia. Among Southeast Asian women, usage of femtech products turned out to be highest in Vietnam at 52%.

The most common usage for femtech are predominantly for period health (72%) and general health/wellness (44%), which trails much further behind the former.

While usage rates may be in part due to the age demographics of each country, the results are nevertheless surprising considering Singapore’s business hub status for femtech. On the broader perspective, considering less than 4 in 10 women in the Southeast Asian region use femtech, there is still much room for growth in the industry.

How femtech can reach more women in Southeast Asia

Where female health is still often misunderstood and obscured, femtech companies have to do a lot more than innovating products. 

Guide women towards the right direction 

Without sufficient knowledge in the various aspects of female health and wellness, this has proven to be a major hurdle for women to take the first step out and navigate resources available. Women face difficulty searching for information because they are unsure of what they should be looking out for, or simply said, “I don’t know what I don’t know”. Femtech companies thus have to bridge this knowledge gap in order for their products to reach women effectively.

Spark open conversations, but respect women’s need for privacy and discretion

A few femtech companies offer discreet services such as monthly birth control pill subscriptions or STD tests. While femtech aims to destigmatise, businesses have to be mindful that female consumers may still want to maintain discretion, and this can also vary across cultures. 

For instance, our survey found that among Filipino women, 80% indicated that they prefer in-person consultations to get answers to their health issues, while only 46% in Thailand had similar preference, with 30% preferring online text messaging. Hence, femtech businesses have to be mindful of these varying preferences, and respect the need for privacy and discretion in their products or services. 

Opportunities ahead for femtech

Mentioned earlier, the knowledge gaps in female health also need to be addressed. Period health is the most common purpose for femtech usage, but other areas trail far behind - such gaps can be opportunities for businesses to help women have an all-rounded understanding of their health.

Our survey also shows that apps are the most commonly used form of femtech products (59%), way ahead of other forms such as wearables and telemedicine/teleconsultations. 

With smartphones within reach anywhere, apps are expectedly a go-to for most women. However, app fatigue is a real problem, and especially for femtech that addresses health and wellness, businesses have to be strategic in how they want to weave seamlessly into the lifestyles of their target users.

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The full report covers the following insights:

• Areas related to female health/wellness that women are lacking knowledge in
• Groups/channels women will turn to for help with issues related to female health/wellness
• Purpose for femtech usage
• Demographic segmentation of results including age and parental status.

Reach out to us for the full report here.

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Methodology:

Based on Milieu surveys with N=500 females each from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, conducted in February 2022.

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