Women Spend 25% More of Their Lives in Poor Health Than Men
A new report reveals the systemic underinvestment in women’s health and the economic potential of correcting it.
Even though women represent almost half of the global population—and even though they make the majority of household healthcare decisions—their specific health needs are frequently not met and still chronically underfunded, according to a new report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
According to the report, women on average live longer than men but spend 25% more of their lives in poor health or with a disability. It’s a burden, the WEF and BCG note, that extends far beyond reproductive and maternal health. Indeed, they write, “many diseases and conditions affect women uniquely, differently and disproportionately.”
Cardiovascular disease, for example, is the leading cause of death among women, yet it is often misdiagnosed because clinical standards still tend to be based on male physiology. Autoimmune disorders disproportionately affect women. Additionally, about 10% of women say they have missed work due to menopause-related symptoms. The report concludes that women lose the equivalent of a full week of healthy life each year (75 million years collectively).
Josie Cox
Despite all of this evidence, the report finds that investment in women-focused health solutions remains paltry. Over the past five years, for example, a mere 6% of private healthcare capital has gone to women’s health initiatives. And when it comes to health tech, the disparity is even starker: in 2023, tech companies focused on women’s health secured just 2% of the $41.2 billion in venture funding within that sector, underscoring a persistent structural blind spot. Echoing this, the authors cite research from the U.S. showing that National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for men-dominant diseases is approximately two times higher than for women-dominant diseases.
The authors of the report argue that this imbalance represents a significant economic opportunity. They conclude that improved care and better screening for just four conditions (menopause, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease) would have a major impact on women’s health and could generate more than $100 billion in market value in the U.S. alone.
Josie Cox
