Council criticises 'gender-neutral' health policies

It is a mistake to treat men and women equally when formulating health policies, the Women's Health Council has warned.

In its annual report, the council said that "gender-neutral" policies assumed men and women were affected equally or in a similar manner by ill health.

On the contrary, "women as a group not only experience different types of health issues than men, they also experience the same health issues differently".

The report highlighted a case study on cardiovascular health which, it said, supported the argument of "gender-targeted strategies to ensure optimal health status" for both sexes.

"Over their lifetimes, women are as affected as men by [cardiovascular problems], and have high rates of the disease at older ages. In spite of this, heart disease has traditionally been thought of as typical to men. This is probably because men are more likely than women to die prematurely (under the age of 65) from the disease. It may also be explained by the historical lack of clinical research focusing on or including women's cardiovascular health.

"Women can have quite different symptoms of disease than men, something the literature describes as women's 'atypical' experience of heart disease, with men's symptoms being perceived as 'normal'."

The report also concluded that lack of childcare provision and of family-friendly working arrangements still greatly limit the ability of women to access the labour market and put them at greater risk of poverty.

"Moreover, when women with children do work outside the home, they experience significant additional strain on their mental and physical health."