Women represent half of the global population. In many regions of the world, women outnumber men. Despite their numbers, women and their health issues have traditionally been neglected both nationally and globally. Although this is slowly changing, many of the issues facing women today continue to be marginalized, negated, and ignored by the (mostly) male-dominated medical community (Blumenthal, 2011; Heath, 2013; United Nations, 2015).
Gender discrimination in health care is present in other aspects including healthcare research, diagnosis, and treatment. Many of the disease studies and prevention aspects of various health issues have traditionally been focused on men. For example, women react differently to medication than men, they metabolize alcohol differently than men, and they normally have lower blood sugar than men. Yet many of the studies surrounding drug safety tests, alcohol metabolism, and hypoglycemia have been conducted on men. This type of discrimination often leads to illogical and statistically incorrect conclusions that greatly impact the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in women (Heath, 2013).
Health-risk factors such as poverty, discrimination, and violence greatly undermine women’s health (and often affect women more than men) but are often poorly addressed or considered “less important” by healthcare organizations, states, and the government than other issues facing the public (Blumenthal, 2011).
Even insurance companies have charged women more than men or denied them coverage altogether (National Women’s Law Center, 2017). Pay inequity for women results in twice as many women who are underinsured as men. Women represent nearly two thirds of all Medicaid recipients, and Medicaid reform poses additional threats to this population by cutting important healthcare benefits for women and children. When employment opportunities are also limited, more women and their children may face the possibility of not having health coverage (National Association of Social Workers, 2017).