The Long Game: Bringing Women's Longevity Up to Speed

As the McKinsey Health Institute heads to Geneva to convene with global health leaders at the 77th World Health Assembly next week, we want to highlight findings from our work in healthy longevity and deep dive into the actions needed to improve outcomes for women—particularly in light of recent research that shows a staggering global women’s health gap.?

Women are living longer than men on average, but spend more time in poor health comparatively

?According to the McKinsey Health Institute, women globally spend 25 percent more time in "poor health" due to a number of influencing factors, including:

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Limited understanding of sex-based differences: Historically, men have both led and been the subject of study in medicine and biology. In cardiovascular research, 70 percent of the animal models used were male. Understanding basic biological differences is paramount to ensuring women are getting the right care.

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Data gaps resulting in women’s health being undercounted: Women’s health conditions have been historically underestimated, with datasets?that undervalue their health burden. Conditions such as menopause have different definitions of health-related burden or lack consistency in pain instruments and scales, leading to likely underestimations in burden and prevalence.

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Constrained access to sex-appropriate care: Women are more likely than men to experience barriers to healthcare such as delays in diagnostics and subpar treatment, and there are several staggering ways in which this can manifest itself.

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Living healthier and longer could affect four areas of women's lives: economic power, societal participation, health, and caregiving??

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Economic power: Better health is correlated with economic prosperity. Women spending more time in poor health affects their abilities to show up productively at work and socially. Addressing the gap could generate the equivalent impact of 137 million women accessing full-time positions and up to $1 trillion added to the economy annually by 2040.

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Career disruptions such as reduced working hours and time away to fulfill caregiving responsibilities can lead to income and financial instability. When women experience financial instability, they may cut back their discretionary spending on goods and services such as entertainment, travel, healthcare, and wellness. Career disruptions also reduce retirement benefits for women.

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Despite the wage gap, the financial influence women possess should not be underestimated. In the United States, for example, women control about one-third of the wealth in the country — more than $10 trillion dollars, and a recent study found that by 2030, women are poised to inherit an additional $30 trillion of wealth from the baby boomer generation. With 49 percent of women in the US reporting that they manage the finances in their household, these boosts to women’s economic power could help fill earnings gaps and increase discretionary spend. This has the potential to ease the financial burden that often comes at the cost of women’s mental and physical well-being.

This also strengthens the case for access to financial planning tools so that women are equipped to make decisions on maintaining and extending their wealth. Within the public sector, some state governments offer free asynchronous financial literacy planning courses; and in the private sector space, companies such as Ellevest and She Capital, are stepping in to fill the void of specialized financial services for women.

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Proposed action from stakeholders: Governments could consider how tax policies can penalize women leaving the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities, and what policies can lead to them returning or staying in the workforce. They may also consider partnerships with private-sector entities to help expand resources for women to boost their economic power.

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Societal participation: MHI defines societal participation as consistent involvement in deliberate activities that lead to meaningful engagement with one’s society and community. This includes activities such as employment, volunteering, continuing education, and participating in community-based activities. As women approach retirement, a clear plan for continuing engagement with the physical and social environment can mitigate loneliness and isolation and contribute to time spent in good health. McKinsey Health Institute’s 2023 study on global healthy aging found that participation in any activity aligns with better self-reported health, which correlates to improvements in actual health.

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Working provides opportunities to experience personal growth and development and social connections. MHI’s study on global healthy aging also found that 44 percent of older adults report that they want to work but are not. This presents an opportunity to create policies and programs that help older adults remain in the workforce for its associated mental, physical, and social benefits. Women should be empowered to explore formal and/or informal employment so they can maintain relationships and experience personal fulfillment. Outside of work, a routine that allows interaction with peers and family through recreation is important. A vibrant environment that facilitates active lifestyles for women could include community-based in-person or virtual fitness classes, creating spaces for group religious gatherings, and more.?

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Proposed actions from stakeholders: Employers can make their workplaces age-friendly for women looking to participate at varying stages of life in different capacities. They can consider how to provide upskilling/reskilling for women looking to be part of new waves of workforce trends.

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Health: According to JAMA, after menopause, the risk of chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, and diabetes increases (in tandem with risk due to normal aging). Preventative healthcare may help prolong women’s years spent in good health.

But there is a need for more research into women's health to understand how chronic diseases such as some cardiovascular diseases inform clinical care and treatment for women, thus increasing their odds of years spent in good health. As aforementioned, women continue to be underrepresented in clinical research trials. Despite a 1993 law passed by Congress mandating the inclusion of women in clinical trials, a gender gap among participants still exists. According to a recent study, even after adjusting for prevalence, women were underrepresented in trials related to arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure.

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Proposed action from stakeholders: Healthcare providers and entities in the fitness/health and wellness sectors have an opportunity to provide patients with evidenced-based innovations. This can help mitigate disease, improve wellness, and maintain a good quality of life.?

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Caregiving: With more systemic and supportive pillars in place, women could mitigate burnout from caregiving commitments across their own life span?and prolong good mental and physical health. Women who simultaneously serve as caregivers to older adults and parents of young children face a unique challenge of a widened caregiver window. Women historically bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities and face greater burden of disease. This means services such as community-based care for their older adult dependents, and social supports such as housing subsidies and food/nutrition subsidies?are critical to easing the load that may have negative societal and economic effects on women.

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Proposed actions for other stakeholders could include governments introducing/refining legislation to offset costs associated with caregiving or develop high-quality caregiver programs that families can use and expand access to existing initiatives. Public and private sector actors can also help women by providing resources that allow for better family planning (e.g., universal childcare, birth-related leave).

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If you will be at the World Health Assembly or would otherwise like to connect and collaborate with Healthy Longevity or MHI, please reach out to [email protected].

The McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) is an enduring, non-profit-generating entity within McKinsey & Company dedicated to adding years to life and life to years. To stay up to date on our work, including new research, insights, and global collaborations, subscribe to MHI Communications here and follow MHI on LinkedIn.

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