Equal treatment for men and women works well in many fields, but healthcare demands a more tailored approach.
Most drugs are tested on healthy men because women's hormonal fluctuations complicate trials. This leads to women experiencing more medication side effects due to gaps in research on female physiology.
Key health differences highlight the need for better understanding:
– Women live on average 3.6 years longer than men.
– Women die a quarter less often from cancer.
– More than half are less addicted than men.
– Women develop a chronic disease on average six years earlier than men.
– Women feel physically limited six months earlier.
– After correcting for pregnancy and childbirth, women spend 10% more time in hospital on average.
