Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1329 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here.
Preamble
This blog post is based on an article by Andrea Willige, [“The state of women’s health in numbers,” World Economic Forum] published May 1, 2026; updated September 3, 2026. Link to the article at the end.
Women’s Health: The Global Healthcare Gap We Can No Longer Ignore
Women make up approximately half of the world’s population. They raise families, participate in the workforce, lead organisations, contribute to national economies, and care for others. Yet an important question remains: are healthcare systems doing enough to protect women’s health throughout their lives? The answer, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) article published in May 2026, is no.
This is not merely a women’s issue. It affects families, workplaces, healthcare budgets, productivity, and economic development. For Pakistan and other developing countries, the message is particularly important. When women’s health needs are overlooked, the consequences extend from individual suffering to the well-being of entire communities.
The numbers reveal a serious health gap.
75 MILLION YEARS – of healthy life lost globally. Women spend approximately 25% more of their lives in poor health or with disabilities than men, representing an estimated 75 million years of life affected by the women’s health gap.
$1 TRILLION ANNUALLY – Potential economic benefit. Closing women’s health gaps could add at least $1 trillion to the global economy each year by 2040, according to estimates cited by the WEF.
6% OF PRIVATE HEALTHCARE CAPITAL – Allocated to women’s health. Of approximately $2.9 trillion in private healthcare capital examined by the WEF, only around 6% was directed towards conditions affecting women.
LESS THAN 2% – For some neglected conditions. Women-specific conditions such as endometriosis, menopause, and polycystic ovary syndrome receive less than 2% of private healthcare funding, according to the article’s cited investment analysis.
AROUND 5% – Of clinical trials report sex-disaggregated data. The article highlights a major evidence gap: relatively few clinical trials report results separately for women and men, limiting understanding of differences in treatment responses.
Together, these figures suggest that women’s health has not received attention proportionate to its importance. Although awareness has improved, gaps in evidence, funding, and healthcare delivery continue to affect women’s lives.
Why do women spend more years in poor health?
The gap cannot be explained by a single cause. It reflects a combination of biological differences, social circumstances, gaps in medical knowledge, and weaknesses in healthcare delivery.
A. Medical research has historically favoured male biology: For many years, medical research and drug development often relied heavily on male participants or treated male biology as the default reference point. This creates a problem because women and men can differ in how diseases develop, how symptoms appear, and how their bodies respond to medicines. Hormonal changes, pregnancy, menopause, body composition, and other biological factors can influence health outcomes. If clinical studies do not adequately examine these differences, healthcare professionals may have incomplete evidence when deciding how best to treat women. This does not mean all medicines work differently in women. It means that clinically meaningful differences must be investigated rather than assumed away. The WEF article highlights the importance of collecting and reporting clinical data separately by sex where appropriate. Better evidence can help researchers identify differences in treatment effectiveness, side effects, and disease progression.
B. Women are sometimes diagnosed later than men: One of the most concerning findings cited in the article comes from a large analysis of health records spanning two decades. Women were diagnosed later than men for more than 700 diseases, with an average delay of approximately four years. The reasons and size of the delay vary across conditions. Delayed diagnosis can have serious consequences. A woman experiencing persistent pain may be told that her symptoms are normal. A woman with cardiovascular disease may not receive timely investigation if her symptoms do not match familiar expectations. Someone experiencing symptoms associated with menopause may visit several healthcare providers before receiving an appropriate explanation. The result can be prolonged suffering, unnecessary expenditure, delayed treatment, and avoidable complications. The lesson is straightforward: women’s symptoms deserve careful assessment, and healthcare professionals need evidence-based diagnostic approaches that account for sex-related differences.
C. Conditions affecting women specifically remain neglected: Some conditions have received less research and investment than their impact on women’s lives warrants.
Consider three examples:
- Endometriosis: A condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, potentially causing significant pain and fertility difficulties. Diagnosis can take years.
- Menopause: A natural stage of life that may involve symptoms affecting sleep, mood, bone health, and quality of life. Many women struggle to obtain appropriate information and support.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): A hormonal and metabolic condition that can affect menstrual cycles, fertility, and long-term health.
These conditions are not equally relevant to every woman, and their symptoms vary considerably. Nevertheless, they illustrate why women’s health cannot be reduced to pregnancy and childbirth alone.
Women need appropriate care throughout their lives, from adolescence and reproductive years through menopause and older age.
The investment gap: A missed opportunity for healthcare and business
The WEF article identifies a significant imbalance between the burden of women’s health conditions and the funding directed towards them. According to the figures it cites, around 90% of the limited private healthcare capital allocated to women’s health is concentrated in three areas: women’s cancers, reproductive health, and maternal health. Other important conditions receive much less attention.
Maternal care and cancer research are vital and must not lose funding. The problem is that concentrating investment in a narrow range of conditions can leave other major needs underserved.
There is also an economic argument for change.
The article reports that addressing underfunded areas, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopause, and Alzheimer’s disease, could create more than $100 billion in market opportunities by 2030 in the United States alone, according to Boston Consulting Group research. This demonstrates that women’s health is not simply a philanthropic concern. It is also an area in which better science, diagnostics, medicines, and healthcare services can create social and commercial value.
However, commercial opportunity should not become the sole measure of success. The ultimate objective must be improved health outcomes, affordable access, and better quality of life.
Sum Up
The World Economic Forum’s findings reveal a fundamental contradiction in modern healthcare. Women may live longer than men, yet they spend more of their lives experiencing poor health or disability. Persistent gaps in research, diagnosis, treatment, and investment help explain why medical progress has not benefited everyone equally.
The solution requires more than occasional awareness campaigns. It demands sustained investment in research, stronger primary healthcare, timely diagnosis, affordable treatment, and services that respond to women’s needs at every stage of life. It also requires a change in mindset. Women’s health should not be treated as a specialised or secondary area of healthcare. It is an essential component of the health of the entire population. The potential economic benefits are considerable, but the human benefits are even more important: less preventable suffering, fewer years lived with disability, greater independence, and a better quality of life. A society cannot achieve its full potential while the health needs of half its population remain inadequately addressed. Closing the women’s health gap is therefore not simply about correcting an inequality. It is about building a healthier, more productive, and more equitable future for everyone.
Concluded.
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