Es gibt einen Moment – meist irgendwo zwischen 45 und 55 –, in dem eine Frau allmählich bemerkt, dass ihr Körper ihr etwas anderes mitteilt als früher. Der Schlaf ist …
WeiterlesenWomen’s Health: Closing the Gender Healthspan Gap
Women’s health has historically received less attention in medical research than men’s. As a result, important gaps remain in our understanding of how best to support women’s health across the lifespan, including in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Women Live Longer, But Not Necessarily Healthier
In Switzerland, women have a life expectancy of 85.8 years compared to 82.0 years for men, which is a gap of almost four years (Our World in Data, 2023). Yet their healthy life expectancy is only marginally longer: 71.3 years for women versus 70.9 years for men (WHO Global Health Observatory). This is the women’s healthspan gap: more years lived, but a disproportionate share of them spent managing chronic illness, disability, or reduced quality of life.
| Women | Men | |
|---|---|---|
|
Life expectancy at birth |
85.8 years |
82.0 years |
|
Healthy life expectancy (healthspan) |
71.3 years |
70.9 years |
|
Sickspan (years in poor health) |
~14.5 years |
~11.1 years |
What makes this trend more urgent is its direction. In Switzerland, men’s healthy life expectancy is now improving faster than women’s. Men are closing the historical longevity gap, while women’s gains in both lifespan and healthspan are slowing. Left unaddressed, this means the years women spend in poor health could grow rather than shrink.
Why Women’s Health Needs Its Own Lens
Closing this gap requires more than general health advice. It requires addressing the structural and biological factors specific to women:
- Research gaps. Women have historically been underrepresented in clinical trials, leading to treatments and guidelines that are less tailored to their physiology.
- Disease presentation. Many conditions, from heart attacks to autoimmune disease, show different symptoms in women, contributing to later diagnosis and poorer outcomes.
- Life-stage transitions. Hormonal shifts across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause have a significant and often underappreciated impact on long-term health.
- Caregiving load. Women disproportionately carry caregiving responsibilities, which can affect their own time, stress levels, and access to preventive care.
Our Role in Advancing Women’s Health in Switzerland
Health2Wealth places women’s health promotion at the centre of the healthspan discussion. We bring together researchers, clinicians, and women themselves to build awareness around the conditions and life stages that most affect women’s healthspan, and to translate emerging research into practical, usable knowledge.
Our aim is to ensure that closing Switzerland’s overall healthspan gap does not leave women behind, but puts their needs at the heart of the solution.
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