75 million years lost: The shocking cost of ignoring WOMEN'S HEALTH

Hi,

Why do women wait years longer than men for life-saving diagnoses? Let’s talk about a problem hiding in plain sight. Women worldwide face a health gap that costs lives, money, and years of pain. Here’s what you need to know.

Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men.

A 2024 report by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute found this. Women lose 75 million years of healthy life yearly due to this gap. Closing it could give every woman 7 extra healthy days a year—or 500 days in a lifetime. But we’re not closing it. Why?

Women’s health gets 1% of research funding.

In 2020, only 1% of healthcare research focused on female-specific conditions beyond cancer. But investing in women’s health pays off. 2040, fixing this gap might add $1 trillion globally. Yet, progress stays slow.

6 conditions show how the system fails women:

1. Heart disease: Women die because doctors don’t listen. Heart disease kills more women than men. But women wait 30 minutes longer in ERs for care. After a heart attack, UK women are 33% less likely to get angiograms (tests to find blockages).?

Why? Symptoms like nausea or jaw pain get ignored. A study found women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed after a heart attack.

1. Endometriosis: 1 in 10 women suffer. 80% go undiagnosed. This condition causes extreme pain and infertility. Yet, diagnosis takes 7+ years in the US. For Black women, it takes longer. Filmmaker Shannon Cohn shared her story: doctors dismissed her pain for 13 years. Globally, endometriosis costs $78 billion yearly in the US alone from lost work and care.

1. Autism & ADHD: Girls “mask” symptoms, so doctors miss them. Boys get diagnosed with autism 3x more than girls. Girls hide symptoms to fit in, leading to anxiety or depression later. For ADHD, women face delays too. From 2020–2022, diagnoses for women aged 23–49 nearly doubled. But less than 1% of US women have an ADHD diagnosis today.

1. Autoimmune diseases: 80% of patients are women. Why? Conditions like lupus or MS affect women most. Diagnosis takes 5 years on average. In 2024, Stanford scientists found a clue: a molecule called Xist, found only in women, might trigger these diseases. Still, funding stays low. Autoimmune diseases cost $100 billion yearly in treatment.

1. Superbugs: Women face higher risks from drug-resistant infections. By 2050, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could kill 10 million people yearly. Women are more exposed because they’re 70% of health workers and often lack clean water in poor countries. The World Bank says AMR could cost $1 trillion more in healthcare by 2050.

1. Cancer & diabetes: Women get diagnosed 4 years later than men. A 2019 study of 7 million people in Denmark found this. Women learn they have diabetes 4.5 years later than men. For cancer, it’s 2.5 years later. Researchers say bias plays a role. Men often delay doctor visits, so the real gap might be bigger.

Why does this happen? Doctors don’t trust women’s pain.

A 2024 study proved it. When women go to hospitals in pain, doctors assess their pain 10% less often than men’s. Women wait longer for treatment and get fewer painkillers. “Women are seen as hysterical. Men as stoic,” said study co-author Alex Gileles-Hillel.

Data bias makes it worse.

For years, medical studies used men as the default. Caroline Criado Perez’s book Invisible Women exposed this. In 31 heart failure trials, men outnumbered women 3:1. “Women are dying, and the medical world is complicit,” she said.

COVID-19 made things harder for women.

The pandemic disrupted healthcare globally. Women lost more access to care than men. Mental health suffered too. A Gates Foundation study in May 2024 found women live longer but spend more years in poor health.

How do we fix this?

1. Fund women’s health research. Only 1% of funding goes to conditions like endometriosis. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Alliance for Women’s Health is a start—it raised $55 million for research.
2. Train doctors to stop ignoring women. Teach them to recognize heart attack symptoms in women (like fatigue, not chest pain). Fix bias in pain assessments.
3. Collect better data. Track how diseases affect women differently. The WHO urges countries to share gender-specific data on superbugs and other threats.

The bottom line Ignoring women’s health costs lives and money. Fixing the gap isn’t just fair—it’s smart economics. Women deserve care that listens, believes, and acts fast. Share this, demand change, and support women’s health groups. Let’s close the gap for good.