Decades of gender bias in healthcare have left women overlooked and underserved — it’s time for a change
Photo via Nutrition Network.
It’s no secret that women have long been underserved by the healthcare system — a system designed by men, for men. From research and diagnosis to treatment and outcomes, gender inequity remains deeply established. Women are left navigating a system that too often dismisses their symptoms, underfunds research into their health issues, and forces them to endure pain without adequate care.
It’s time to face the reality that the healthcare system is failing women, but it isn’t broken — it was simply never built to support them.
Consider the foundation of medical research — the core of healthcare advancements. Women have consistently been excluded from biomedical studies. It was only as recently as 2016 that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) implemented a policy requiring researchers to consider sex as a biological variable. Yet, this has not been nearly enough to close the massive gap in medical knowledge. A 2023 study examining over 8,000 grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) over 11 years revealed that less than six per cent of federal funding was dedicated to women’s health research — a sobering statistic.
The consequences of this neglect are staggering. Women, despite living longer than men, spend 25 per cent more of their lives in poorer health. They are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses and face unique health challenges due to their physiology. Mental health conditions affect women differently, yet only three per cent of over 3 000 neuroscience and psychiatry studies even considered female-specific health variables. It is not a coincidence that there were nine times more health studies conducted on males than females — it is systemic neglect.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought forward more inequities for women in healthcare. While more men died from COVID-19 in the U.S. than women did, the death rate for Black women was three times higher than that of white men. Women also made up 76 per cent of frontline service roles in the U.S., exposing them to greater risk of infection, yet their vulnerability was often overlooked. As the world scrambled to respond to the pandemic, the intersection of race, gender, and socioeconomic status shaped health outcomes — women, especially marginalized women, suffered most.
Gender bias in healthcare extends beyond research and into everyday patient care. Studies have repeatedly shown that women’s pain is underestimated and under-treated. In one experiment, participants viewed video clips of male and female patients experiencing chronic shoulder pain. Despite reporting the same levels of pain, female patients were consistently judged to be in less pain than their male counterparts. This bias shaped treatment recommendations: men were more likely to be offered pain medication, while women were steered toward psychotherapy.
Studies also show that female patients wait longer for pain or fever medication in emergency settings, and are less likely to receive opioid medication.
A clear example of this can be seen in how routine gynaecological care is given. While a dermatologist wouldn’t perform a skin biopsy without numbing the area, countless women undergo invasive procedures like IUD insertions or endometrial biopsies without adequate pain management. This could be due to the outdated belief that women are sensitive and therefore over-exaggerate pain, whereas men are strong and, if they express pain, it must be serious.
This inequity isn’t just a women’s issue — it’s a societal issue. When women’s health suffers, families, communities, and economies suffer too. Addressing these disparities requires targeted, systemic change. Dedicated funding for women’s health research — beyond sexual and reproductive health — is essential. Peer review committees focused on women’s health could ensure fair evaluation of research proposals. Medical training programs must also incorporate sex- and gender-based analysis. There are so many efforts that can be made to change this system, but we have to implement them.
Importantly, the goal should not be to compare women to the “male standard,” but to understand female health on its own. Research must prioritize how female-specific experiences such as pregnancy, menopause, hormonal contraceptives and menopausal hormone therapy influence short- and long-term health outcomes. Understanding women’s health more comprehensively will not only improve care for women, but also drive discoveries that benefit men and gender-diverse individuals.
The path forward is clear. Proper funding, inclusive research practices, unbiased clinical care, and systemic reforms can transform the healthcare system into one that truly seeks to serve everyone. Women deserve better. It’s time to dismantle the male-centric foundations of medicine and build a system where women’s health is no longer an afterthought, but a priority.
