Women vs Men in Health and Medicine: The Numbers
How medical research has treated the two sexes, and how the outcomes diverge. Twelve comparisons covering research inclusion, symptom recognition, treatment, and outcomes — with sources.
| Measure | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
|
Life expectancy at birth (US, 2023)
Women outlive men by ~5.4 years in the US. Gap was ~2 years in 1900.
|
80.2 years | 74.8 years |
|
Heart attack misdiagnosis rate (under 55)
Women under 55 are 7× more likely than men to be discharged from ER mid-heart-attack.
Pope et al., NEJM (2000) · 2000
|
7× more likely to be sent home mid-MI | Baseline |
|
Wait time for pain medication in ER
For acute abdominal pain, women wait 16 minutes longer on average than men, matched for severity.
|
+16 minutes longer | Baseline |
|
Likelihood of antidepressant prescription for chronic pain
Women with chronic pain are twice as likely as men to be prescribed antidepressants instead of analgesics.
|
2× | Baseline |
|
Diagnostic delay: endometriosis
Women typically see 4+ doctors before endometriosis diagnosis. Affects ~10% of women of reproductive age.
WHO Endometriosis Fact Sheet · 2023
|
7-10 years avg | n/a |
|
FDA clinical trials including female subjects (cardiovascular drugs, 1977-1993)
FDA's 1977 guidance excluded women of childbearing age from Phase I/II trials. Reversed in 1993 NIH Revitalization Act; disparities in representation persist.
|
Excluded by default | Included |
|
30-day mortality after hospitalization by physician sex
Slightly lower mortality for patients of female physicians — 1.58M Medicare hospitalizations, Tsugawa JAMA IM 2017.
|
(patients of female doctors) 11.07% | (patients of male doctors) 11.49% |
|
Mortality after surgery by surgeon sex (adjusted 30-day)
Canadian cohort of 1.3M patients — significant mortality difference favoring female surgeons.
|
(female surgeon) lower by 0.2 pp | (male surgeon) baseline |
|
Prevalence of autoimmune disease (lifetime)
Women constitute ~78% of all autoimmune disease patients. Most autoimmune trials historically underrepresented women.
|
78% of autoimmune patients | 22% |
|
Depression lifetime prevalence (US)
Women are ~2× more likely than men to experience clinical depression in their lifetime.
|
20.1% | 8.7% |
|
Suicide death rate per 100K
Despite higher depression rates, women die by suicide at ~1/4 the rate of men. Men attempt less often but use more lethal means.
CDC WISQARS (2023 data) · 2024
|
6.4 | 23.0 |
|
Dementia (60+) prevalence
Women account for about 2/3 of US Alzheimer's patients. Longer life expectancy is one factor; biological sex differences in brain aging increasingly recognized.
|
~2/3 of Alzheimer's patients | ~1/3 |
What the numbers say
Two patterns. First, women are under-treated for conditions where symptoms present differently or where historical research excluded them — especially cardiovascular disease and chronic pain. Second, women live longer, but they live longer with more chronic illness, and diagnose later for conditions that disproportionately affect them. The correction path is not just more research — it's research that includes women at representative rates, and clinical training that treats female presentation as a first-class baseline rather than a variant.
Related
Sources
Frequently asked
Why do women live longer than men?
Multiple factors: lower rates of cardiovascular disease mortality in mid-life, lower rates of violent death and accidental death, hormonal factors, and some biological factors (e.g., second X chromosome advantages). Gap has held for over a century.
Were women really excluded from clinical trials?
Yes. The FDA's 1977 guidance excluded women of childbearing age from Phase I/II trials out of fear of reproductive harm. The policy wasn't reversed until 1993, and representative inclusion is still a work in progress for many conditions.
Is it true that heart attacks present differently in women?
Yes. Women more often experience 'atypical' symptoms (fatigue, jaw pain, nausea) rather than crushing chest pain. Much medical training historically centered the 'typical' male presentation, contributing to misdiagnosis rates.
Why do women suffer more from autoimmune disease?
Biological — X-chromosome gene dosage, sex hormones, and immune differences. Women constitute ~78% of autoimmune patients across most conditions. The mechanisms are still being mapped.
Is the female-doctor outcome benefit large?
Small but robust — a ~0.4 percentage-point lower 30-day mortality in Tsugawa 2017 Medicare data, replicated in surgical cohorts (Wallis 2017, 2023). Patterns suggest differences in communication, adherence to guidelines, and time spent with patients.