Gender parity in health care so we can attain it in the workplace

One may dispute and even disregard the multitude of statistical data available on gender parity in the workplace. However, I doubt very much that going back to the basics, on the rather astounding figures on the disparity with respect to women’s vs men's health across the world, will leave anyone indifferent.

Indeed, if our gender has to also fight to claim it’s basic human fundamental rights to be and remain healthy, how on earth can we aspire to reach gender parity in the workplace?

So, for the 7th edition of my Newsletter, here are some quite disturbing figures:

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From the World Economic Forum (1), on February 21st here’s the headline: (Thank you good algorithms!)

‘’The gender health gap: It's more than a women’s issue. Here’s why:

• Millions of women of all ages have no access to healthcare, treatment and support they need.
• Closing this 'gender health gap' would enable more women to join the workforce, potentially boosting the global economy by $1 trillion.
• A new World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute report highlights the vital need to strive for gender parity in health’.’
• Here are a few data dashboards that speak volume in my opinion:

I will not deny it as I started reading a number of articles and looking at this data, I was hovering between tears and rage.

As one, who struggled with some of these women’s conditions at a younger age, I can attest to the difficulties of working and performing when in pain or during menopause with the bountiful hot flashes.

I recall having to step out of meetings to go outdoors to catch a breath of fresh air as my business suit was soaked and wet?? and absolutely no empathy from my male colleagues or leaders, incidentally….. Hum…

And I was extremely lucky to have amazing health care professionals in a publicly funded health care system which wasn’t in a huge crisis at the time. Things have indeed dramatically deteriorated in Quebec and the rest of Canada. My heart goes out to women who have to find a family physician and or a gynecologist in my province or the rest of the country.

As I pursued my readings, to get a sense of the situation in the US, I discovered in an article from The Guardian(2) from last November where the headline was:

''Despite decades of promises, health research still overlooks women."

Really?

The piece, beautifully written by Maggie F. of The Fuller Project reveals:

“We know less about female biology and we are struggling to catch up,” said Janine Clayton, the director of the NIH’s (National Institutes of?Health) office of research on women’s health.

?‘’Fewer than a third of the results from the most advanced clinical trials, known as phase III trials, are reported by sex in medical journals, Clayton said. Doctors rely on the journals to inform their practices. If there’s no data to justify changing how they treat women, they don’t.’’

Excuse me?

?The article goes on by detailing:

“Research on women’s health has been underfunded for decades, and many conditions that mostly or only affect women, or affect women differently, have received little to no attention,” the first lady?Jill Biden?said in announcing a new White House initiative on women’s health research on 13 November. (2023)

“Because of these gaps, we know far too little about how to manage and treat conditions like endometriosis, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. These gaps are even greater for communities that have historically been excluded from research – including women of color and women with disabilities.”

''Not only do researchers fail to include enough women in clinical trials, they often don’t look for differences between how men and women respond to treatments.''

''The new initiative acknowledges that Congress’s earlier directive fell short.”

I also got an up-to-date reconfirmation that women are less likely to be included in trials for treatments for the biggest killer of both men and women: heart disease.?And I have a rather bad genetic mark-up on this front..... Wonderful isn't it.

?So, as I keep harping since the onset of this Newsletter, until those of us that are lucky enough to be born Caucasian women - it’s a simple chromosomic phenomena - reach full gender parity in ALL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES what the heck happens to the minorities?

All of this because my parents, Al and Trudy’s genetic chromosomes, resulted in Two of the X chromosomes joining forces to create my own genetic mark-up as the embryo was developed as a girl to become an activist woman with brains, a mouth and a keyboard...

And yet women are being penalized for a facet of science for which we have ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER…..

Somehow my female brains can’t quite comprehend this; gentlemen do you care to shed some light perhaps?

(1)?? https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/02/women-health-gender-gap-equality/

(2) https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/20/women-health-research-jill-biden-white-house

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