Women’s Health Deserves More: Addressing the Gender Gap in Research

When we think of gender gaps, we often think of employment, pay, or legislation. One thing that may not come to mind is healthcare research.

Gender blindness exists heavily in the healthcare field and can have negative repercussions for women’s health. There’s one thing we can all agree on—the female body experiences life completely differently. We are more prone to certain diseases, we experience menstruation, menopause, and for some, pregnancy and childbirth. Our bodies work on a ticking clock of childbearing years. While modern medicine has allowed the clock to rewind, that’s not the case for everyone, whether for health or financial reasons. Women see different doctors, undergo different tests, and often have different symptoms for the same conditions as men. It seems obvious that our treatments should be tailored accordingly, right? That’s what leads us to this conversation.

There is a clear lack of research on women’s health, leading to data bias and leaving females unable to receive the care that is best for their bodies on a biological level. In the past, women have even been excluded from participating in research studies and drug trials, leaving them underrepresented in medicine. Menstruation, menopause, contraception, and general female hormones all impact the success of a drug on women. Instead of taking these into account as important factors, they are often seen as barriers, as they can pose higher risk.

The consequences of this gender bias in research are real. For example, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, yet for decades, studies focused primarily on men. As a result, women’s symptoms—often different from men’s—were widely misunderstood, leading to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. Conditions that disproportionately affect women, like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and autoimmune diseases, are also historically under-researched and underfunded, leaving many women without the care they need.

On International Women’s Day, as we celebrate the achievements and progress of women around the world, it’s also important to recognize the gaps that still exist—especially in healthcare. Achieving gender equity in medical research is not just about fairness; it’s about saving lives. We need more inclusive research, equitable funding for female-dominant conditions, and to address data bias in healthcare at a minimum in order to start to close the gender gap in research.