Ending the neglect of women’s health in research

The health inequities facing women and gender diverse people are well known.1 Sex differences exist in both prevalence and manifestation of numerous disorders,1 making it challenging to diagnose and treat these disorders without recognising sex based disparities.123 For example, female patients are more likely than male patients to experience adverse effects from new drugs.4

In recognition of such differences, as far back as 1993 the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) mandated that women (and ethnically diverse people) should be included in all NIH funded clinical trials.5 Canadian and European funding agencies also implemented mandates for sex and gender diversity in health research.6 Despite these efforts, sex and gender related inequalities remain in both research and practice. Leading contributors are the low levels of funding for diseases that disproportionately affect women,78 lack of attention to sex or gender in analyses despite mandates from funding agencies,5910 and lack of research focused on improving the health …