Mind the Gap: Gender Inequality in Healthcare
March 8th marks International Women’s Day—a time to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women who have defied systemic misogyny throughout history. While recognising these milestones is vital (check out our blogs on our female-led organisation), today, we’re shining a light on the gender gap in healthcare. Awareness is the first step toward change, and by highlighting these disparities, we can drive progress toward a fairer, more equitable future for women.
Women face significant barriers in accessing healthcare, from delayed diagnoses to being dismissed or misdiagnosed for conditions like endometriosis and heart disease. Research shows that women’s symptoms are more likely to be overlooked, their pain underestimated, and their health concerns deprioritised. These disparities are not just anecdotal—they stem from historical biases, outdated medical research that has prioritised male physiology, and a lack of education about women’s specific health needs. The consequences? Longer waiting times for diagnosis, poorer treatment outcomes, and unnecessary suffering.
This International Women’s Day, it’s time to spotlight these inequalities and demand change. In this blog, we’ll explore how healthcare fails women in the UK, why these issues persist, and what we can do to bridge the gender gap in medicine.
What is a healthcare gap?
Health gaps refer to disparities in the prevalence of disease, health outcomes, or access to healthcare across different groups, often influenced by factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geography. These gaps can manifest in various ways, including delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatment, and higher mortality rates for certain conditions.
For women, health gaps are particularly evident in areas like reproductive health, cardiovascular disease, pain management, and autoimmune disorders, where research has historically prioritised male physiology. Women are also more likely to have their symptoms dismissed or misdiagnosed, leading to longer diagnostic journeys and poorer health outcomes. Whilst, socioeconomic barriers, caregiving responsibilities, and gender biases in medical research further widen the divide, leaving many women without essential care.
The UK is no exception to this trend in healthcare inequality; It [the UK] was found to have the largest female health gap out of the G20 countries and, furthermore, the 12th largest globally. Addressing these health gaps requires greater awareness of them, investment in gender-specific research, and systemic changes to ensure that women receive equitable and effective healthcare.
The Reality of the Healthcare Gap
Women may live longer than men, but they spend 25% more of their lives in poor health, often battling debilitating conditions that could have been better managed or even prevented. This gap in healthcare reflects a deep-rooted disparity in access, funding, and prioritisation—where women’s health concerns are too often overlooked.
Compared to men, women are less likely to visit their GP, yet more likely to be prescribed medication that could be harmful. When it comes to dementia, they receive poorer medical treatment, and in cases of heart attacks, they face a stark reality: women are twice as likely to die within the first 30 days compared to men. These inequalities highlight an urgent need for change—ensuring that women’s health is not just an afterthought, but a priority.
Longer Queues & More
The NHS backlog is disproportionately affecting women, further deepening the healthcare gender gap. Waiting lists for gynaecological services have more than tripled over the past decade, escalating from just under 185,000 patients in May 2014 to 597,000 in May 2024—a staggering 223% increase. This surge means that hundreds of thousands of women are currently waiting for essential treatments for conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, incontinence, and menopause-related issues.
More broadly, women are 28% more likely than men to wait over four months for NHS treatment (54% vs. 42%), and these long delays come with serious consequences. Women are 50% more likely than men to say that long waits have negatively impacted their ability to socialise (41% vs. 28%), and 38% of women report that waiting for treatment has affected their ability to work, compared to 29% of men. The prolonged uncertainty, pain, and disruption to daily life caused by these delays exacerbate both physical and mental health struggles, leaving many women suffering needlessly.
This growing crisis underscores the urgent need for targeted intervention—from increased NHS investment in women’s healthcare to prioritising the backlog of gynaecology appointments. Without action, the gender disparity in healthcare will only continue to widen, leaving women underserved and overlooked.
And if you’re not angry by this point, we’re positive by the end of these shocking statistics you will be:
- Four in five women (80%) feel that medical professionals have either dismissed their concerns or failed to take them seriously.
- Women—especially Black women—are disproportionately affected by “pain bias,” where healthcare professionals underestimate, dismiss, or ignore the severity of their pain.
- Recent research reveals that maternal mortality rates are at their highest in 20 years, with an average of 13.41 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies. The crisis is even more severe for Black women, who are four times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth compared to their white counterparts.
- It takes the average sufferer 8 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis.
- “Virginity testing” was only outlawed in 2022, when the Department of Health and Social Care officially recognised it as a form of violence against women and girls.
- Erectile dysfunction, which affects 19% of men, is researched five times more often than premenstrual syndrome (PMS)—despite PMS affecting 90% of women.
Bridging the Gap: The Need for Urgent Change
The gender health gap is not just a women’s issue—it’s a systemic failure that affects us all. When half the population is underserved by the healthcare system, the consequences ripple through families, workplaces, and society as a whole. Women deserve to be heard, believed, and treated with the same urgency and priority as men when it comes to their health.
Closing this gap requires more than just awareness—it demands action. We need increased funding for women’s health research, improved medical education that prioritises gender-specific differences, and systemic changes that ensure women’s voices are no longer dismissed. Policy reforms, better training for healthcare professionals, and greater accountability are essential steps toward a more equitable system.
As we mark International Women’s Day, let’s push for a future where women no longer have to fight to be taken seriously in healthcare. A future where no woman has to wait nearly a decade for a diagnosis, be ignored when she’s in pain, or face worse health outcomes simply because of her gender.
It’s time to stop accepting these inequalities as the norm. It’s time to demand better.
Take Control of Your Health With Get Well Soon
At Get Well Soon, we believe that no woman should have to wait in pain or uncertainty for the care she needs. With NHS waiting lists at record highs, women are left struggling with delayed diagnoses and prolonged suffering for conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, and menopause-related issues. That’s why we put you in control of your health—giving you direct access to top consultants at leading hospitals across the UK. With no waiting lists, you can skip the queue and receive expert care when you need it most.
This March, as we mark Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we’re also shining a spotlight on gynaecological cancer care. Check out our latest blog with Mr. Janos Balega, a renowned consultant gynaecological surgeon and expert in gynaecological cancer, as he shares insights on early detection, symptoms to watch for, and the latest advancements in treatment.
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