And it’s even bigger than you imagined.
In the grand scheme of medical research and healthcare priorities, women have been coming up short for years. We’re half the population. And each year, millions of women are dealing with life-altering health issues – menopause is but just one. And yet every year, significantly more money, research and attention are given to male health issues over women’s.
In fact, a 2024 insight report, Closing the Women’s Health Gap, by the World Economic Forum and the McKinsey Health Institute, reports that women face more barriers to care, wait longer for diagnoses, and often receive subpar treatment. Also that women’s health issues are chronically underfunded compared to their prevalence.
OK I’m PISSED! Let’s dig a little deeper. (I’m also still laughing about ‘boners and menopause’ – see link below).
Quarter-Life Crisis
Let’s start with the fact that according to this report, while women generally live longer than men, we will spend more than 25% of our lives in debilitating health. Take a moment to let that sink in. That’s a quarter of our lives spent dealing with health issues that significantly impact our quality of life. But why?
The root of this problem stems from a persistent lack of data that leaves women under diagnosed and underrepresented in medical research. In fact, before 1993, women were routinely excluded from clinical trials. And according to a 2022 Harvard Medicine School study women (51% of the population) still only represent 40% of participants in recent clinical trials for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and psychiatric disorders. Did I mention that these very diseases affect more women than men?
Not only is this frustrating, it means that the medical community lacks important information about how drugs and devices specifically affect women. The result, fewer available and less effective treatments for women.
Research Disparities
Even hough women are now included in research, the spending priorities are way off. Somehow, we’ve ended up in a world where a 70-year-old man’s ability to get an erection is deemed more worthy of research dollars than endometriosis – a chronic disease that causes severe pain and infertility. In fact the McKinsey report reveals that over a five-year period, erectile dysfunction-focused companies received 6X more funding than those tackling endometriosis.
Yes, you read that right.
And in the UK today, only about 2% of research funding is spent on pregnancy, childbirth and fertility. This lack of funding leaves a lot of unanswered questions about women’s reproductive health. Scientists still can’t explain why ovaries age faster than other organs, why fertility declines so sharply with age, or why only humans (with the exception of some whales and possibly giraffes), experience menopause and have a significant post-reproductive lifespan.
The Birth Control Burden
And peaking of reproduction, that brings up a whole other disparity – birth control. Don’t get me wrong. Female birth control is a vital tool for women’s health that should be available to everyone who needs it. I’m just wondering if there’s an opportunity for men to step up and share the contraceptive load.
There currently are 10 different contraceptive options for women, and only two for men – condoms and vasectomies. The imbalance is stark, and it raises the question: why hasn’t science found more ways for men to ejaculate responsibly?
Some argue it’s because male birth control is trickier from a biological standpoint (one egg monthly versus millions of sperm daily). Others point to halted research due to side effects – depression to acne, mood swings, and low libido. Hmmm, those sound familiar.
But I’m actually going to give the guys a little break here and suggest that the research may have been slow because of safety and efficacy research practices. Clinical trials are evaluated based on potential risks. Any side effects have to be weighed against the risk of the medication and what happens if you’re not on it.
For people who can become pregnant, the risks of unintended pregnancy often outweigh the side effects of birth control. However, not using birth control poses no direct health risks to men. Which explains why it’s difficult to justify potential side effects in male birth control trials, and therefore why trials are halted at earlier stages.
Now, let’s all be honest though. If there was an option for male a birth control pill or gel, would we trust them to remember to take it? I love my man, but sometimes he forgets this kind of stuff. I don’t think the control freak in me would hand over these reigns so easily. And I’m not alone, a recent survey showed that while 80.9% of men believe they’d be compliant with an oral contraceptive, only 65.6% of women trusted their male partners to do so.
The Way Forward
So, where do we go from here? It’s clear that we need to reorganize our priorities and investments in healthcare. This isn’t about pitting women against men – it’s about recognizing that as a society, we need to make a radical shift.
More funding for women’s health research, better data collection, increased access to care, supportive policies across the board, and even a few options for male contraception to balance reproductive responsibilities. It’s about creating a world where women’s health isn’t an afterthought, but a priority.
I don’t mean to get teste, but let’s face it – a world where we care more about boners than menopause is a world that needs some serious recalibration.
And that’s my rant for the week. Can’t wait to see you next Thursday.
xoxo
Michelle
