- Women face significant health disparities, spending 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, with nine key conditions—such as breast cancer, endometriosis, and heart disease—contributing to this gap.
- Barriers to progress include underrepresentation in clinical trials, underfunding of research, and delayed diagnoses, particularly for conditions like endometriosis, which takes an average of 10 years to diagnose.
- To close the gap, stakeholders must improve data collection, focus on sex-specific treatments, increase funding for research, and provide gender-sensitive healthcare, with initiatives like the World Economic Forum’s Women’s Health Impact Tracking Platform leading the way.
Women around the world are spending more of their lives in poor health compared to men, often due to missed diagnoses, misdiagnoses, or a lack of understanding of their unique health conditions.
On average, women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. Addressing this gap could not only improve millions of lives but also boost the global economy by at least $1 trillion annually by 2040.
The Nine Key Conditions Widening the Gap
Research highlights that nine health conditions account for one-third of the women’s health gap. Seven of these conditions, such as breast cancer, endometriosis, and menopause, affect women exclusively.
The other two—heart disease and migraine—manifest differently in women than in men. Addressing these conditions alone could give the average woman 2.5 more healthy days per year.
The Barriers to Progress
Despite the urgent need to address these issues, progress has been slow due to several major roadblocks:
- Lack of Reliable Data: Women are often underrepresented in clinical research. They make up just 22% of participants in early-stage clinical trials, making it difficult to understand how different treatments affect them.
- Underfunding in Research: Women’s health research remains significantly underfunded, leading to fewer effective treatments.
- Delayed Diagnoses: Conditions like endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women globally, take an average of 10 years to be diagnosed, with no cure currently available.
- Limited Focus on Low- and Middle-Income Countries: While 54% of the burden of women’s health issues falls on these regions, fewer than 1 in 4 clinical trials for these conditions focus on them.
The Urgent Need for Change
Experts emphasize that achieving health equity is essential for both well-being and human rights. According to Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, gender equity in healthcare is a fundamental right. Without it, women will continue to live less healthy lives than men.
To close this gap, stakeholders must focus on key areas:
- Improving Data Collection: More comprehensive and diverse research on women’s health is needed.
- Sex-Specific Trials and Treatments: Understanding how diseases and medications affect men and women differently is crucial.
- Increased Funding for Research: More investment is required in clinical trials and treatment development.
- Evidence-Based, Gender-Sensitive Care: Healthcare providers must tailor treatments to women’s specific needs.
A Step Towards a Healthier Future
The World Economic Forum’s Women’s Health Impact Tracking Platform is working to measure and address the women’s health gap. By focusing on data, research, and policy changes, we can inspire real progress. Every country must take responsibility for ensuring that women’s health is not overlooked.
How is your country contributing to closing this gap? Stay tuned to WOW360.
