世界经济论坛-缩小女性健康差距：1万亿美元改善生活和经济的机会（英）-2024.1

IncollaborationwiththeMcKinseyHealthInstituteClosing

the

Women’sHealth

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4Images:GettyImagesContentsForeword3459ExecutivesummaryIntroduction1.

Theroleofscienceinaddressinghealthdisparities2.

Datagapsunderestimatewomen’s

healthburden,limitinginnovationandinvestment13162024303435363.

Creatingsex-andgender-responsivecaredeliverysystems4.

Directinginvestmentstowardswomen’s

health5.

Closingthewomen’s

healthgapcouldboosttheglobaleconomy6.

Calltoaction:Howtoclosethewomen’s

healthgapConclusionContributorsEndnotesDisclaimerThisdocumentispublishedbytheWorldEconomicForumasacontributiontoaproject,insightareaorinteraction.Thefindings,interpretationsandconclusionsexpressedhereinarearesultofacollaborativeprocessfacilitatedandendorsedbytheWorldEconomicForumbutwhoseresultsdonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheWorldEconomicForum,northeentiretyofitsMembers,Partnersorotherstakeholders.©2024WorldEconomicForum.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem.ClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies2January2024ClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomiesForewordLucyPérezShyamBishenSeniorPartner,

McKinsey&Company;AffiliatedLeader,McKinseyHealthInstitute,USAHead,CentreforHealthandHealthcare;MemberoftheExecutiveCommittee,WorldEconomicForumForalltheeffortstoimprovegenderequityoverthepastcentury,thegapbetweenmen’s

healthandwomen’s

healthremainswide,whetherit’s

inresearch,data,careorinvestment.possiblewithintentional,coordinatedefforts.Whiletherearemanyways,largeandsmall,forawiderangeoforganizationstoimprovewomen’s

health,specificactionscouldcreatemeaningfulimpact.Amongtheseareinvestinginwomen-centricresearch;collectingandanalysingsex-,ethnicity-andgender-specificdata;enhancingaccesstogender-specificcare;creatingincentivesfornewfinancingmodels;andestablishingbusinesspoliciesthatsupportwomen’s

healthandstrengthenwomen’s

representationindecision-making.Andeverypersonontheplanetisaffectedbythewomen’s

healthgap,whethertheyknowitornot.Whenweconsidertheimpactofclosingthegap,wearenotjusttalkingaboutwomen’s

lives,butthoseofpeoplewelove,ourcommunitiesandtheworldatlarge.Weknowit’s

possibletoreachequityinhealthformen

and

women.

In

this

report,Closing

the

Women’sHealthGap:A

$1TrillionOpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies,

we’repleasedtoshowcasehowthenarrowingofthewomen’shealthgapwouldallow3.9billionwomentolivehealthier,

higher-qualitylives.Itcouldalsoallowatleast$1trilliontobepumpedintoeconomicproductivityannually,whichreflectshownarrowingthegapwouldleadtofewerearlydeaths,fewerhealthconditions,extendedeconomicandsocietalcapacitytocontribute,andincreased

productivity.Ofthat,thelargestimpactwouldbecreated

fromwomenhavingfewerhealthconditions,lettingthemavoid24millionlifeyearslostduetodisabilityandboostingeconomicproductivitybyupto$400billion.We

inviteleadersfromthepublic,socialandprivatesectorstoreviewthisreportandfindwaystobringtheirowncontributionstofillingthegapinwomen’s

healthoutlinedhere.We

areexcitedtoseerecentmomentuminaddressingthisgap,suchasthedebutoftheWomen’s

HealthInnovationOpportunityMap;

therecentcreationoftheWhite1HouseInitiativeonWomen’s

HealthResearch;thelaunchoftheWomen’s

HealthInterestGroupfromtheEuropeanInstituteofWomen’s

Health;andnewsthatAustraliaisontracktobecomeoneofthefirstcountriestoeliminatecervicalcancer.Inthismulti-yearresearcheffort,theanalysisbacksuponeofthecorebeliefsofeveryoneinvolved:thatweallhavearoletoplayinimprovingwomen’s

lives.AsNobelPrizewinnerMalalaYousafzai

oncesaid,“Wecannotsucceedwhenhalfofusareheldback.”Women’s

healthencompassesmorethanwomen-specificconditions,andachievinghealthequityisClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies3ExecutivesummaryInvestmentsaddressingthewomen’s

healthgapcouldaddyearstolifeandlifetoyears–andpotentiallyboosttheglobaleconomyby$1trillionannuallyby2040.Whendiscussingthechallengesinwomen’shealth,a

commonrejoinder

isthatwomen,average,livelongerthanmen.Butthisneglectsthefactthatwomenspend25%more

oftheirlivesindebilitatinghealth.4.

Investment:Therehasbeenlowerinvestmentinwomen’s

healthconditionsrelativetotheirprevalence.Thisdrivesareinforcingcycleofweakerscientificunderstandingaboutwomen’sbodiesandlimiteddatatode-risk2onnewinvestment.Addressing

thegapsandshortcomingsinwomen’s

healthcouldreduce

thetimewomenspendinpoorhealthbyalmosttwo-thirds.

Thishasthepotentialtohelp3.9billionwomenlivehealthier,

higher-quality

livesbyaddinganaverageofsevendaysofhealthylivingforeachwomanannually,addinguptopotentiallymore

than500daysovera

woman’s

lifetime.Beyondthesocietalimpactsofhealthierwomen,includingmoreprogression

ineducationandintergenerationalThesefactorsplayoutinmanydifferentwaysandtovaryingextentsacrossregionsandincomelevels.However,

theevidencesuggeststhatnogeographicregionoragegroupisunaffected.Chartingthewayforwardbenefits,3improving

women’s

healthcouldalsoMovingforwardrequiresunderstandingthebroadereffectsofthewomen’s

healthgap,anddrivingactiononfivefronts:enablewomentoparticipateintheworkforcemore

actively.Thiswouldpotentiallyboosttheeconomybyatleast$1trillionannuallyby2040.Theseestimates–

whilesignificant–

are

likelyanunderestimation

givendatalimitations.–Investinwomen-centricresearchacrosstheresearch

anddevelopment(R&D)continuumtofillthegapsinunder-researched,

oftenundiagnosedwomen-specificconditions(forexample,endometriosis,andpregnancyandmaternalhealthcomplications),aswellasdiseasesaffectingwomendifferentlyand/ordisproportionately(forexample,cardiovasculardisease).Inthisreport,women’s

healthisdefinedasbiologicalconditionsandgeneralhealthconditionsthatoftenaffectwomenuniquely,differentlyordisproportionately.Therearemanyeffortstoimprovewomen’s

healthglobally;however,

thisreportfocusesontheeconomicimplicationsofthewomen’s

healthgapandthebusinesscaseforclosingit.–Strengthenthesystematiccollection,analysisandreportingofsex-andgender-specificdatatoestablishamoreaccuraterepresentationofwomen’s

healthburdenandevaluatetheimpactofdifferentinterventions.Therootcausesofthegap––Increaseaccesstowomen-specificcareinallareas,frompreventiontotreatment.Therearefourprimaryareasthatneedtobeaddressedtoclosethehealthgap:Createincentivesforinvestmentinareasofwomen’s

healthinnovationanddevelopnewfinancingmodels.1.

Science:Thestudyofhumanbiologydefaultstothemalebody,whichhindersunderstandingofsex-basedbiologicaldifferencesandresultsinfeweravailableandlesseffectivetreatmentsforwomen.–Implementpoliciessupportingwomen’s

health,suchasacademicinstitutionsadaptingmedicalschoolcurriculaandemployerscreating2.

Data:Healthburdensforwomenarepregnancy-

andmenopause-friendlyworkspaces.systematicallyunderestimated,withdatasetsthatexcludeorundervalueimportantconditions.Anecosystemapproach,involvingmulti-sectoralstakeholders,isneededtoaccomplishthesegoals.Itispossibletocreatebetterhealthforwomen,allowinggreaterworkforceparticipationand,mostimportantly,theabilitytolivehealthierlives.3.

Caredelivery:Womenaremorelikelytofacebarrierstocare,andexperiencediagnosticdelaysand/orsuboptimaltreatment.ClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies4IntroductionWomenspend25%more

timein“poorhealth”thanmen.Overthepasttwocenturies,theriseinlifedegreesofdisability(the“healthspan”ratherthanthe“lifespan”).Awomanwillspendanaverageofnineyearsinpoorhealth,affectingherabilitytobepresentand/orproductiveathome,intheworkforceandinthecommunity,andreducingherearningpotential.expectancy–forbothmenandwomen–hasbeenatremendoussuccessstory.Globallifeexpectancyincreasedfrom30yearsto73yearsbetween1800and2018.4Butthisisnotthefullpicture.WomenspendmoreoftheirlivesinpoorhealthandwithBOX1:

TerminologyThisreportreflectswomen’s

healthasamarketsegment.Theauthorsacknowledgetheimportanceofhealthcaretothetransgender,non-binaryandgender-fluidcommunities,andthatnotallpeoplewhoidentifyaswomenarebornbiologicallyfemale.isinclusiveofthetransgender,non-binaryandgender-fluidcommunities.Theyalsoacknowledgetheprofounddifferencesforwomenbasedonfactorssuchasrace,ethnicity,socioeconomicstatus,disability,ageandsexualorientation.Additionalworkandresearchshouldreflecthowtotacklethesebarriersalongsidetheoverallwomen’shealthgap.Inthisreport,theterm“woman”includesthoseunderage18.Theauthorshaveoftenusedtheterm“sexandgender”toreflectinclusivelanguageandrecognizetheneedforfutureresearchintohealthissuesthatBuildingonprevious

workfrom

theMcKinseyHealthInstituteandtheMcKinseyGlobalInstitute,analystsquantifiedthishealthgapintermsofearlydeathperyear(Figure

1),theequivalentofsevendaysperwomanperyear.

Addressingthegapcouldgeneratetheequivalentimpactof137millionwomenaccessingfull-time5disability-adjustedlifeyears(DALYs),

andthe6extenttowhichthisdifference

isduetothestructural/systematicbarrierswomenface(Box2,“Research

methodology”).Addressing

the25%more

timespentin“poorhealth”bywomenversusmenwouldnotonlyimprove

thehealthandlivesofmillionsofwomen,butitcouldalsoboosttheglobaleconomybyatleast$1trillionannuallyby2040.Thisestimateisprobablyconservative,giventhehistoricalunder-reporting

anddatagapsonwomen’s

healthconditions,whichbothundercounttheprevalence

andundervaluethehealthburdenofmanyconditionsforwomen.positionsby2040.

Thishasthepotentialtolift7womenoutofpovertyandallowmore

womentoprovide

forthemselvesandtheirfamilies.Addressing

thedriversofthisgap,namelylowereffectiveness

oftreatments

forwomen,worsecare

deliveryandlackofdata,wouldrequiresubstantialinvestment,butalsoreflect

newmarketopportunities.Whileimproving

women’s

healthhaspositiveeconomicoutcomes,itisforemost

anissueofhealthequityandinclusivity.Addressing

thewomen’s

healthgapcouldimprove

thequalityoflifeforwomen,aswellascreating

positiveripplesinsociety,suchasimproving

future

generations’healthandboostinghealthyageing.Critically,betterhealthiscorrelated

witheconomicprosperity.

Thewomen’s

healthgapequatesto75millionyearsoflifelostduetopoorhealthorClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies5FIGURE1:

Thewomen’s

healthgap2040Genderhealthgapof75millionDALYsEquivalenttosevendaysperwomanperyearofadditionalhealthburden58%7534%8%GenderhealthgapEffectivenessgapCaredeliverygapDatagapNote:Missedvaluefromundercountingwascalculatedbyaddingtheunderestimateddiseaseburdenforendometriosis(differencebetweenrealendometriosisdiseaseburdenbasedonWHOprevalenceandIHMEdiseaseweightandIHMEreportedendometriosesburden)andmenopause(differencebetweenrealdiseaseburdenbasedonprevalencesizingandPMSdiseaseweight).Source:

UniversityofWashington'sInstituteforHealthMetricsandEvaluation,“GlobalBurdenofDiseaseStudy2019”,women'shealthmodel,usedwithpermissionThechallengeswomenfacewhenseekinghealthcareplayoutinmultipledifferentwaysandindifferentdiseasesandsectorsofsociety.Whenlookingatthepotentialeconomicimpactofaddressingthesechallenges,allagegroupsandgeographiescouldbenefit,withmostofthepotentialcomingfromwomenintheworkingagegroup(Figure2).FIGURE2:

Women’s

healthgapandGDPimpactbyagegroupsAgegroupAdditionalhealthylifeyears1livedin2040,Women’s

GDPimpactbyagegroup,inDALY

millionsGDPimpactin$billions08.601020303.1467.21651839.09.39.710.2Around60%of~80%oftheGDPimpactgeneratedinworkingagegroupadditionalhealthylifeyearsgainedinworkingage402065014260105709.16172806.790+Total2.14574.91,0251.Additionalhealthylifeyearsofwomenbyclosingthegenderhealthgapby2040.Source:UniversityofWashington’s

InstituteforHealthMetricsandEvaluation,usedwithpermission;OxfordEconomics;InternationalLabourOrganizationILOSTATdatabase;OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD);Eurostat;NationalTransfer

Accountsproject;McKinseyGlobalInstituteanalysisClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies6Embracingthefulldefinitionofwomen’s

healthResearchshowsthatSRHandmaternal,

newbornandchildhealth(MNCH)accountforapproximately5%ofwomen’shealthburden,

althoughthisis9probablyanunderestimate.Anadditionalestimated56%oftheburdenisduetohealthconditionsthatare

more

prevalentand/ormanifestdifferentlyinwomen.Theremaining43%are

fromconditionsthatdonotaffectwomendisproportionatelyordifferently(Figure3).Women

aremostlikelytobeaffectedbya

sex-specificconditionbetweentheagesof15and50.Otherconditionsoccurthroughout

women’slives,butnearlyhalfofthehealthburden

affectswomenintheirworkingyears,whichoftenhasanimpactontheirabilitytoearn

moneyandsupportthemselvesandtheirfamilies(Figure4).Women’s

healthisoftensimplifiedtoincludeonlysexualandreproductivehealth(SRH),whichmeaningfullyunder-representswomen’s

healthburden.Thisreportdefineswomen’s

health8ascoveringbothsex-specificconditions(forexample,endometriosisandmenopause)andgeneralhealthconditionsthatmayaffectwomendifferently(higherdiseaseburden)ordisproportionately(higherprevalence).FIGURE3:

Total

globalwomen’s

healthburdenBreakdownofconditions,%43%areconditionsthatneitheraffectwomendisproportionatelynordifferently(e.g.ischaemicheartdisease,tuberculosis)47%arerelatedtoconditionsthataffectwomendisproportionately(e.g.headachedisorders,autoimmune4%arerelatedtoconditionsthataffectwomendifferently(e.g.5%arerelatedtowomen–specificconditions(maternalandgynaecological)atrialfibrillation,coloncancer)23disease,depression)143%47%4%

5%Total

globalwomen’s

suffering1.Conditionsthataffectwomendisproportionatelyaredefinedasconditionswithahigherprevalenceinwomencomparetomenbutnotahigherdiseaseburdenpercase.2.Conditionsthataffectwomendifferentlyaredefinedasconditionswithahigherdiseaseburdenpercaseinwomencomparedtomen.3.Includingmaternalconditionssuchasmaternalhaemorrhage,maternalsepsisandothermaternalinfections,hypertensivedisordersofpregnancy,obstructedlabouranduterinerupture,abortionandmiscarriage,ectopicpregnancy,indirectmaternaldeaths,latematernaldeaths,maternaldeathsaggravatedbyHIV/AIDS,gynaeco-logicaldiseasessuchasuterinefibroids,polycysticovariansyndrome,women’s

infertility,endometriosis,genitalprolapse,premenstrualsyndromeandwomen’s-specificcancerssuchasuterinecancer,

ovariancancerandcervicalcancer.Source:McKinseyanalysisbasedontheUniversityofWashington'sInstituteforHealthMetricsandEvaluation,“GlobalBurdenofDiseaseStudy2019”,women'shealthmodel,usedwithpermissionFIGURE4:

HowhealthburdensaffectwomenovertheirlivesNearly50%ofburdenaffectswomenofworkingage4252752450–1920–6465+11.In2016theaveragepensionageforawomanretiringthatyearwas63.7years.Source:DiseaseburdenfromUniversityofWashington'sInstituteforHealthMetricsandEvaluation,“GlobalBurdenofDiseaseStudy2019”,usedwithpermission;OECD,“CurrentRetirementAges”,PensionsataGlance,OECDandG20Indicators,OECDPublishing,2017Pregnancycomplicationscanincreaseriskforchronicillnesses(forexample,gestationalhypertensioncanportendchronichypertension,10andwomenwhohavehadgestationaldiabeteshavea50%riskofdevelopingtype2diabetes7–10yearsafterthebirthofthechild).11

Goodmaternalhealthhelpsthemotherandbaby,withbenefitsextendingbeyondpregnancyandbirth.HealthClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies7equityencompassesaccesstotheinterventionsandoptionsthatarerightforeachindividual,regardlessoftheirgender,

sex,sexualidentity,sexualorientation,age,race,ethnicity,religion,disability,education,incomeleveloranyotherdistinguishingcharacteristic.Forwomen,thiscanstartwithabetterunderstandingofandaccesstointerventionsthatleadtothebestoutcomes.BOX2:

ResearchmethodologyAssessmentofthewomen’s

healthgapandthepotentialtoreduceit:2040.Thesehealthgainswere

convertedintolabourforceinvolvement,productivityandeconomicgainsthroughfouravenues:fewerearlydeaths;fewerhealthconditions;extendedeconomiccapacitytocontribute;andincreasedproductivity.Theassumptionsforestimatingtheimpactswere

basedonacademicstudiesandverifiedbyexperts.AnalystsusedtheGlobalBurdenofDiseasedatafromtheUniversityofWashington’sInstituteforHealthMetricsandEvaluation(IHME)toforecastdiseaseburdensupto2040.Thisincludesdiseasesleadingtodeathandpoorhealthconditionssuchasinfectiousdiseasesandchronicconditions.Thisanalysisacknowledges:To

gaugehowmuchthediseaseburdencouldbereduced,McKinseythoroughly

reviewedclinicalevidenceforthetop64diseasesaffectingwomen,whichaccountfornearly86%oftheglobaldiseaseburden.12

Itfocusedonaround180interventions,basedonguidelinesfrom

leadinginstitutionssuchastheWorld

HealthOrganization(WHO)andTheLancet.––Diseaseburdenevolution:UnexpectedeventssuchasCOVID-19canchangeprojections.TheIHME’s

diseaseburdendatareflectsthebestavailabledata.Interventioneffectiveness:Giventhatevolvingscientificevidencemaybeinconclusive,theresearchincludedinputfromacademicandclinicalexperts.Foreachinterventionrelatedtothe64diseases,McKinseyexaminedthefollowingfactors:––Futureinnovations:McKinseyfocusedonadvanced-stagetechnologiesandconsultedfieldexperts.–––Identificationofpotentialreductionofmorbidityandmortality,13scaleduptoalldiseases,consideringthedifferencesbetweenmenandwomentoidentifythewomen’s

healthgapAddressingthewomen’s

healthgap:Analystsassumedthatifexistinginterventionsaremoreeffectiveforormorefrequentlyadoptedbymen,thesameratescouldbeachievedforwomen.Ifgender-basedefficacywasn’tmonitored,itwasassumedasimilargendergaptotheonesforwhichdatawasavailable.Projectionoftotalpopulationandworkingpopulationbaselineswiththeexpansionfromhealthinterventionsandlabour-forcecapacityinterventionsEstimationofthedurationtorealizethefullbenefits,consideringbothimplementationtimeandthelagbeforehealthbenefitsappear––Economicimplications:Thiseconomicanalysismakesassumptionsaboutlabourmarketchoices.Forinstance,howageandhealthaffectlabourforceparticipation.Evidencesuchascurrentlabourforcestatisticsandpotentiallabourmarketchangeswereconsidered.Caseswithlimitedadoptiondataandcorrelatedassumptionsare

detailedinthetechnicalappendix.Quantificationoftheeconomicimpact:Datagap:Undercountingandundervaluingofdiseasesandtheirhealthburdenonwomenlikelyleadstoanunderestimationofthewomen’s

healthgap.To

determinethepotentialeconomiceffects

oftheproposed

healthinterventions,analystsusedpopulation14

andlabourforce15

predictions

uptoHowtoreadthisreportTheanalysispresentedinthisreportincludesanassessmentofthehealthburdenassociatedwiththewomen’s

healthgapasmeasuredinpotentialyearsofhealthylife.16

Thishealthimprovementpotentialwasthentranslatedtoeconomicpotential,measuredascontributiontogrossdomesticproduct(GDP).Sections2–4ofthisreportarefocusedonhealthimprovementpotential(measuredinDALYs),

brokendownbythreerootcausesrelatedtodisparitiesinscience,dataandcaredelivery.Theeconomicvalueofthiscombinedhealthimprovementpotentialispresentedinsection6,whereeconomicimpactismeasuredinadditionalGDP.

Whilethisreportfocusesonthepotentialeconomicbenefitsofclosingthewomen’s

healthgap,thereisalsoamoralimperativetoclosethewomen’s

healthgapandtoimprovethelivesofmillionsofwomenworldwide.ClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies8Therole

ofscienceinaddressing

healthdisparities1Inequalityhindersknowledge.ClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies9EffectivenessofandaccesstomedicaltherapiesmayvaryBiomedicalinnovationbuildsonthebasicunderstandingofsciencearoundbodyfunctionandthecellularandmolecularpathwaysinvolvedindiseasedevelopmentandprogression.Historically,menhavebothledandbeenthesubjectofthestudyofmedicineandbiology.17Themajorityofanimalmodelshavebeenbasedonmalespecimens.18

Questionsaboutsex-baseddifferenceswererarelyinvestigatedorrecorded,withtheassumption–nowknowntobefalse–thattherearefewimportantdifferencesinthefunctioningoforgansandsystemsinmenandwomenbeyondreproduction.To

understandbasicfemalebiologybetter,

fundamentallynewresearchtoolsshouldbedeveloped(forexample,animalmodels,computationalmodels,patientavatarsandhumanizedmodels)thatbetterclassifywomen’ssymptomsandmanifestationsofdisease(asopposedtocallingthose“atypical”).19There

are

well-knowncaseswhere

womenandmenexperienceimportantdifferencesintheuptakeoreffectiveness

ofa

medicinedesignedandapproved

foruseforboth.Thisistrue,forexample,forsometherapiestotreat

asthmaandcardiovascular

disease.Analystslookedat183ofthemostwidelyusedinterventionsacross

64healthconditions,representing

roughly

90%ofthehealthburden

forwomen,reviewing

more

than650academicpaperstoassesstheextentofthisphenomenon.Oftheinterventionsstudied,only50%reported

sex-disaggregated

data.Incaseswhere

sex-disaggregated

datawasavailable,64%oftheinterventionsstudiedwere

foundtoputwomenata

disadvantage,eitherduetolowerefficacy

oraccess,orboth,whileformenthiswasthecaseforonly10%ofThereisatremendousopportunityforthehealthcareandlifesciencescommunitytoimprovethelivesofwomenaroundtheworld.interventions.(Figure

5).FIGURE5:

EffectivenessofandaccesstointerventionsvarybetweenmenandwomenFromtheinterventionsthathavesex-disaggregateddata,64%werefoundtoputwomenatadisadvantageduetolowerefficacy,lackofaccessorbothNosex-disaggregateddata50%50%64%Withsex-disaggregateddata10%26%ResearchedinterventionsWomendisadvantagedMendisadvantagedEqualresultsSource:

McKinseyanalysisExamplesinclude:–Cardiovascularandcerebrovasculardisease–particularlyischaemicheartdiseaseandstroke–isthebiggestsinglecontributortodiseaseburdengloballyforbothmenandwomen,accountingfor16%ofDALYs

globallyformenand14%forwomen.22

OneGermanstudyfoundthatdespiteidenticaltechnicalsuccessofapercutaneouscardiacinterventionformenandwomen,therewasa20%higherage-adjustedriskofdeathorofcardiaceventsinwomencomparedtomen.23–Asthmaisacommonrespiratoryconditionaffectingmenandwomenatsimilarprevalencerates,whereacuteasthmaexacerbationspresentassymptomssuchasshortnessofbreath,wheezing,coughorchesttightness.20Inhalertherapywithbronchodilatorsandcorticosteroidsisamainstayoftreatment.Butstudiesindicatethatthistreatmentisaround20percentagepointslesseffectiveinreducingexacerbationsinwomencomparedtomen.21ClosingtheWomen’s

HealthGap:A$1Trillion

OpportunitytoImproveLivesandEconomies

10Researchinwomen’s

healthprimarilyfocusesondiseaseswithhighmortality,

overlookingdiseasesleadingtodisabilityandpolycysticovarysyndrome.Additionally,maternalconditionsshouldreceivemoreattention:whiletheycontributeasimilarsharetooverallsufferingamongwomencomparedtowomen-specificcancers,thereisalargediscrepancyinthepipelineoftherapiesindevelopment.Forexample,eventhoughpostpartumhaemorrhage(PPH)istheleadingdirectpreventablecauseofmaternalmortalityinlow-incomecountries(LICs)andlow-ormiddle-incomecountries(LMICs),onlytwonewmedicinesshowntobeeffectiveinPPHmanagementhavebeendevelopedoverthepast30years.24Onewaytoassessresearchprioritiesisthroughpipelineassets.Thereisuptoa10-fold