Women's health gap: 25 per cent of women live in poorer health than men, despite longer life expectancy
Research revealed that men and women experience significant differences in healthcare outcomes, largely due to biases in clinical trials, treatments and medical research.
Research shows that 25 per cent of women now live in poorer health than men, despite having a longer life expectancy. Photo: Canva
However, research revealed that men and women experience significant differences in healthcare outcomes, largely due to biases in clinical trials, treatments and medical research.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Women’s Health Impact Tracking platform, 25 per cent of women now live in poorer health than men, despite having a longer life expectancy.
The report also identified nine key health conditions that account for one-third of the health gap between men and women.
Seven of these conditions exclusively affect women, such as breast cancer and menopause, while the remaining two; heart disease and migraines, impact women differently from men, requiring specialised treatments.
Addressing these nine health conditions more effectively could give the average woman an additional 2.5 healthy days per year.
Closing the gap entirely could contribute at least USD 1 trillion (RM4.45 trillion) annually to global GDP by 2040.
Currently, the healthcare system provides patchy and unreliable data, underfunding for thorough research and underrepresentation of women in clinical studies.
The World Economic Forum noted that only 22 per cent of participants in phase 1 clinical trials are women, even though medications affect men and women differently.
Understanding these differences is essential for effective treatment, yet only 10 per cent of clinical trials for migraine and heart diseases report sex-specific data.
World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health head, Amira Ghouaibi, said that men are typically favoured in clinical research.
This leads to fewer effective treatments for women and results in overlooked side effects or inadequate treatments due to the unavailability of data.
Ghouaibi added that it would take approximately 10 years to receive a proper diagnosis for endometriosis, with no cure currently available.
The World Economic Forum also reported that 54 per cent of the global health burden for women is in low- and middle-income countries, with fewer than one in four clinical trials focusing on the nine key conditions that specifically affect women.
Helen Clark, a board member of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, emphasised the importance of equity in healthcare, describing it as "a fundamental principle of human rights between women and men."
"Without it, we live less healthy lives and have less well-being than men," she added.
The responsibility to close the health gap lies primarily with stakeholders, who must improve the quality, quantity, and diversity of data on women’s health.
Another key area is to distinguish sex-based differences in trials and treatments.
Additionally, stakeholders must increase funding for research and clinical trials, ensuring that the healthcare system delivers evidence-based and gender-sensitive care.
Closing the women’s health gap is not just a matter of equity—it is a necessity for global health and economic prosperity.
By investing in gender-sensitive research and ensuring equitable access to healthcare, we can improve millions of lives and create a more inclusive future.
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