The gender health gap
Historically, society has placed very little focus on women’s health. We see this across the public health system and as a result, employer-provided group benefits. Healthcare has often failed to consider women’s physiological differences, societal roles – like caregiving - and specific health needs.
This is called the gender health gap. It refers to the different health-care experiences of women and men, with women often receiving lower quality care. There are several reasons why this health gap exists. They include:
- A historical and continuing lack of research on women’s health. Often research was done on men and generalized to women.
- Low awareness and understanding of how some conditions can manifest differently in women than men.
- The stigma in discussing and dealing with women-specific health issues, such as reproductive and gynecological health.
"I feel a lot of confusion and anger around women's health. I find getting access to health care and the care that I need is often a challenge and what I am feeling is frequently pushed aside. I am constantly having to advocate for myself and what I need, and
it can be both physically and emotionally taxing." – Sun Life research participant, 2024
"I feel broken about the subject [women’s health]. It seems so simple with all the parts, but the challenge is to put them all together to make one functioning human being." – Sun Life research participant, 2024