The Women’s Health Gap
The women’s health gap is a global issue that reflects embedded systemic inequalities in healthcare outcomes, access and research. While it is often associated with conditions specific to women, such as endometriosis or menopause, the gap extends far beyond reproductive health. It encompasses disparities in the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of conditions that affect both men and women but manifest differently in women. This inequity is further exacerbated by a historical bias in medical research, where women have been underrepresented in clinical trials and sex-specific data has been neglected. Dealing with these disparities is not only critical for achieving health equity but also offers significant societal and economic benefits, including improved productivity and economic growth.
Gender bias in medical research has had far-reaching consequences for the development of treatments for women, perpetuating inequities in healthcare outcomes. For decades, women were systematically excluded from clinical trials as researchers believed that male subjects provided “cleaner” data due to the absence of hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle. This belief not only ignored critical biological differences between sexes but also created a dangerous precedent: the assumption that findings from male-dominated studies could be universally applied to women. This exclusion has led to a healthcare system where drugs, treatments and diagnostic criteria are often developed based on male physiology, leaving women underserved and at greater risk of adverse outcomes.
The consequences are stark particularly when it comes to how treatments and diagnoses are developed and applied. Women are more likely to experience adverse drug reactions because dosages and side effects are, as we have seen above, often determined based on male physiology. This bias extends to life-threatening conditions like cardiovascular disease. Heart attacks provide a striking example of this disparity. Women often exhibit symptoms that differ from the “classic” chest pain commonly associated with heart attacks in men. Instead, they may experience nausea, fatigue, indigestion or back pain, symptoms that are frequently dismissed or misinterpreted by healthcare providers as “atypical.” As a result, women are less likely to receive timely diagnostic tests such as coronary angiograms or preventive medications like statins after a cardiac event contributing to higher mortality rates among women following severe cardiac events.
The issue applies to other conditions where gendered assumptions influence medical care. Autoimmune diseases, for instance, disproportionately affect women but are often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed because their presentations differ from those seen in men. Similarly, developmental conditions like autism are underdiagnosed in girls because they present differently than in boys. This pattern reflects a broader tendency in medicine to view male symptoms as the default standard while dismissing or misunderstanding those experienced by women.
Conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome are often dismissed as psychological or “normal” female experiences, delaying effective treatment for years. Gender bias also influences how pain is managed and perceived in women. Research shows that women’s pain is often taken less seriously than men’s, leading to longer wait times for treatment and less aggressive pain management strategies. Women are more likely to be prescribed sedatives rather than painkillers, perpetuating stereotypes that their symptoms are emotional rather than physical.
Addressing medical gender bias requires systemic reforms in healthcare research, education and practice. Increasing the representation of women in clinical trials is essential to developing diagnostic criteria and treatments that reflect sex-based differences. Researchers must analyse data by sex to identify differences in disease presentation and treatment efficacy. Additionally, funding bodies must prioritise studies focused on conditions that disproportionately affect women or present differently in them. Medical education needs to emphasise the importance of recognising these differences and challenge stereotypes that lead to dismissive attitudes toward women’s symptoms.
Failing to address it has significant societal and economic costs. Delayed diagnoses lead to prolonged suffering, higher healthcare expenses and more intensive treatments for advanced conditions. Untreated or misdiagnosed health issues also reduce women’s workplace productivity and increase absenteeism, hindering economic growth. McKinsey estimates that closing gender disparities in healthcare could add over $1 trillion annually to global GDP by 2040. Improved health outcomes would boost workplace productivity, while companies that adopt policies supporting women’s health such as flexible work arrangements or menopause support can enhance employee retention, satisfaction and foster a more inclusive workplace culture.
At Partner Executive we believe that the gender health gap reflects long-standing inequalities that demand urgent attention from policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers and businesses alike. One promising avenue for addressing these disparities is through the rise of FemTech (female technology), an innovative sector dedicated to developing digital solutions, diagnostics and products tailored to women’s unique health needs. FemTech has the potential to revolutionise how women experience healthcare. Closing the gender health gap is not only a matter of justice but also an opportunity to improve public health outcomes while driving economic progress. Recognising and addressing these biases is essential for creating a more inclusive healthcare system that meets the needs of all individuals equitably, including those of half of the planet’s population.
