Women live longer than men — but spend more of those years in pain, misdiagnosed, undertreated, and invisible to medical science. This is the Gender Health Gap.
Explore the data →"Structural gender inequalities in medical research, drug development and access to health care directly and cumulatively undermine women's health in the EU."European Parliament Study, PE 778.519 — November 2025
Data from the European Parliament study on gender inequalities in medical research, drug development and access to care.
The World Economic Forum identifies four interconnected failures driving the women's health gap.
The study of human biology defaults to the male body. Research conducted primarily on men is applied to women without sufficient evidence, creating dangerous knowledge gaps.
Women's health burdens are systematically underestimated. Datasets exclude or undervalue key conditions. Sex- and gender-disaggregated data remain rare across all medical fields.
Women face greater barriers to care, diagnostic delays, and suboptimal treatment. The same condition in a woman is less likely to be taken seriously or treated promptly.
Lower investment in women's health conditions drives a reinforcing cycle of weaker scientific understanding, limited data, and reduced innovation. Closing this gap could boost the global economy $1 trillion annually by 2040.
Navigate the full scope of the gender health gap through six evidence-based sections.
Gender differences in cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, depression, and autoimmune conditions — in diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment.
How women are excluded from clinical trials and why the absence of female data leads to less effective — and sometimes dangerous — drugs.
Endometriosis, menopause, uterine fibroids, pregnancy — conditions that affect only or predominantly women but receive minimal research funding.
Financial, geographic, cultural, and institutional barriers that prevent women — especially vulnerable groups — from accessing adequate healthcare.
From ancient androcentrism to thalidomide, to today's EU regulations. A timeline of how medicine has failed women — and what's changing.
Policy recommendations, personal awareness tips, and how you can help raise awareness and push for change on the gender health gap.