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How can policy, public health, and innovation systems better integrate sex- and gender-based data to close the gap between female longevity and female quality of life in old age?
While women consistently outlive men in nearly every country, research shows that longer life expectancy does not translate into better health or quality of life in old age. Women spend more years living with chronic disease, disability, and multimorbidity, particularly conditions such as osteoporosis, dementia, arthritis, and frailty syndromes. This discrepancy, often described as the […]
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9
What are the effects of estrogen and progesterone on non-reproductive organs such as the brain, muscles, metabolism, and digestion, and how does hormone therapy influence these systems?
Estrogen and progesterone, though classically defined as reproductive hormones, exert wide-ranging effects on non-reproductive organs including the brain, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal tract. Neuroscience research demonstrates that estrogens influence synaptic plasticity, neuroprotection, and cognitive function, while fluctuations in progesterone are linked to mood regulation and susceptibility to affective disorders. Similarly, both […]
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8
How might gaps in women’s health data affect the accuracy of AI diagnostics, and what strategies can ensure AI systems are designed to serve everyone, not just the statistical majority?
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems in health care rely on the quality and representativeness of the data on which they are trained, yet women’s health data remain sparse, fragmented, and underrepresented. Clinical datasets have historically over-sampled men and under-sampled women, leading to diagnostic algorithms that may misclassify or overlook female-specific symptoms, particularly in cardiovascular disease, autoimmune […]
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7
What strategies to engage men and boys, through violence prevention, caregiving, and reproductive health, are most effective in challenging harmful social norms and improving health outcomes for women and gender minorities, especially in low- and middle-income countries?
Engaging men and boys in violence prevention, caregiving, and reproductive health is increasingly recognized as a critical strategy for advancing women’s and gender minorities’ health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where entrenched social norms strongly influence behavior. Evidence shows that gender norms not only perpetuate intimate partner violence and limit women’s autonomy, but […]
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6
How can public funders of R&I ensure that biomedical studies consistently collect and report sex- and gender-disaggregated data, and what proportion of current research meets this standard globally?
The consistent collection and reporting of sex- and gender-disaggregated data in biomedical research is foundational for generating evidence that is generalizable, equitable, and clinically relevant. Historically, biomedical research has disproportionately recruited male participants and often failed to analyze outcomes by sex or gender, producing significant diagnostic and therapeutic blind spots. This underrepresentation contributes to misdiagnosis, […]
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5
What strategies, methodologies, and types of evidence are most effective in identifying and closing gaps in women’s health research that address barriers to scaling innovations for underserved populations?
Gaps in women’s health research persist because systemic biases in evidence generation, ranging from underrepresentation of women in clinical trials to limited funding for gender-specific conditions, have constrained the knowledge base needed to design scalable innovations. For decades, biomedical research defaulted to male bodies as the “norm,” producing diagnostic blind spots and therapeutic inequities that […]
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4
What financing instruments, funding models, or regulatory approaches could attract and sustain investment in women’s health R&D, including women-led innovations in underserved areas?
Financing models and regulatory frameworks play a decisive role in shaping the trajectory of biomedical innovation, yet women’s health R&D remains structurally underfunded compared with its disease burden. Analyses of global health financing show that areas such as reproductive health, maternal morbidity, menopause, and gynecological cancers receive disproportionately low investment despite clear public health and […]
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3
Which emerging or underserved areas in women’s health, including promising technologies and commercially viable but underfunded innovations, warrant strategic investment to drive transformative breakthroughs, improve health outcomes, and advance health equity?
Identifying emerging and underserved areas in women’s health is urgent because longstanding structural biases in biomedical research and financing have systematically neglected women’s health needs. Studies show that women remain underrepresented in clinical research, leading to diagnostic gaps, delayed treatments, and inadequate therapeutic development for conditions that disproportionately affect them. Critical domains such as menopause, […]
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2
What measurable social, economic, and health outcomes are associated with prioritizing women’s health (including reproductive health and postpartum care) as shared societal infrastructure rather than an individual burden?
Reframing women’s health, including reproductive, perinatal, and postpartum care, as societal infrastructure is critical because the evidence shows that such investments generate measurable spillover effects on population health, equity, and intergenerational well-being. Research demonstrates that comprehensive RMNCH (reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health) interventions substantially reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality while improving life […]
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1
What structural, social, and policy factors perpetuate women’s disadvantages across health, political, and economic domains, and what evidence-based, transdisciplinary strategies can effectively dismantle these barriers?
Women’s persistent disadvantages across health, political, and economic domains are rooted in interlocking structural, social, and policy barriers that limit access to resources, representation, and decision-making power. Research demonstrates that gender inequities in health are not only the result of biological differences but are heavily shaped by social determinants—such as education, income, and exposure to […]
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