Women live, on average, four years longer than men, but they also spend more of their lives in poor health. They also fare badly when it comes to the risk, diagnosis and treatment of some of the UK’s biggest killers, including heart disease and stroke.
And while people joke that women have a higher pain threshold than men – and males and females do feel pain differently – there is also clear evidence that women’s pain is routinely underestimated and under-treated.
In an attempt to close this healthcare gender gap the Government recently published the Women’s Health Strategy. But given the number of studies that suggest women are generally more proactive about their health, why does the gap exist at all?
