A bridge to build: the vast ravine that is the gender health gap

Phoebe Webb questions how Women’s health has historically been overlooked and debates current issues in this field.

It has been centuries since Hippocrates, the father of medicine, popularised the practice of healing; it has been just as long that the understanding of women’s health has been disregarded. Many aspects of women’s health have remained enigmatic throughout history, with little to no empathy for ailments and an expectation to carry on with life. However, many couldn’t, and so a new term was adopted: hysterical.

Medicine has made incredible leaps and bounds even in the last century: Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, the World Health Organisation declared smallpox eradicated in 1980, and midway through the 20th century chainsaws stopped being used during childbirth. However, in a more modern context, healthcare systems such as the NHS continue to let women down. The government’s 2022 call for evidence from the Department of Health and Social Care found that 84% of women believed they were not being listened to when speaking to healthcare professionals, or that their symptoms were dismissed.

Another issue concerning the matter of women’s health is the lack of understanding and research into conditions which leave millions of sufferers in the dark. For example, Endometriosis is a condition which affects roughly 1 in 10 women in the UK, yet any research into its cause or treatment has, historically, been crudely underfunded. It can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, pain in numerous parts of the body, infertility, and nausea, among other unpleasantries. Despite these symptoms, it takes an average of 7 to 8 years for most endurers to receive a diagnosis.

Similarly, a study conducted by UCL in 2023 found that 90% of postmenopausal women were not taught about the menopause. This lack of knowledge of what to expect combined with only sourcing answers once the menopause had begun meant that, of the 829 women surveyed, 62.7% described the experience as “awful” or a “nightmare”. It also has economic downfalls for some, with a reported 60,000 women in the UK leaving work due to menopausal symptoms. While this may remain the case for a number of unfortunate women, better education and awareness of what is to come is crucial for managing the menopause.

The Xavier University School of Medicine reports that, as of 2025, 80% of people living with diagnosed autoimmune diseases are women. The European Society of Cardiology has stated that women are more likely to suffer adverse effects after a heart attack due to presenting different symptoms to men, late diagnosis and, as a result, delayed treatment. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

In today’s world, there are a lot of items on the priority list; women’s healthcare needs to be higher. That is the demand of thousands of women taking to social media to share their horror stories about how the healthcare system has failed them. As a result, more and more people are becoming educated on these conditions and the misogynistic bias which still resides in the industry. The attention being brought to the matter also opens doors; in August of this year, the Gates Foundation announced a $2.5billion investment to 2030 focusing solely on the research of women’s health. Additionally, the charity Wellbeing of Women announced in February that they would be funding eighteen projects (many of which are taking place at UK universities) covering a number of different women’s health conditions. It’s a start, but there is still a long way to go. Maybe, in a centuries’ time, there will be more answers.

Words by Phoebe Webb

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