As simultaneously converging crises threaten to compound inequalities and with growing attention on the need to address the unmet medical needs of women, the EU must step up its efforts to support global women’s health R&D, six MEPs write. Women bear the brunt of health crises. COVID-19 laid bare the stark inequalities that women face.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) does not fit female bodies properly as they are designed for male bodies (despite women accounting for over 70% of the world’s healthcare providers). The lack of inclusion of pregnant people in vaccine trials drove vaccine hesitancy with alarming consequences. Lockdowns increased the risk of gender-based violence — as highlighted in the lessons learnt report that the European Parliament’s COVI special committee put forward in 2023.
As members of the newly established women’s health interest group in the European Parliament, the persisting failure to consider the health needs of women, in all their diversity is an issue that is high on our agenda. This exclusion extends to the earliest stages of research, with biomedical research experiments rarely using or reporting the differences between male and female sex cells. Such "blindness" to sex and gender differences continues across the research and development (R&D) pipeline, resulting in the development of health technologies that are not always effective or safe for women — they are twice as likely to experience an adverse drug reaction compared to.
