How Everyone Benefits from Researching the Health of Women

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the impact of Women’s Health Research at Yale and the general idea of researching the health of women. When I told one of my classmates that I’m working as an undergraduate fellow here, I was surprised by his response.

“Women’s health research is weird because it forces feminism into health care,” he said.

To him, “women’s health research” sounded like just another way feminists were changing society, particularly in a way that was ineffective. The word “woman” has become commonly associated with diversity. And, he figured, why should we be diversifying research?

I can understand why he might feel that way, because many people believe that women and men are the same and would have the same or similar risks of diseases and responses to clinical treatments. Aren’t we all just cells in the end?

It’s true that we are all cells, but cells can be regulated in different ways, through the regulation of DNA expression and the type of proteins made. And these and other biological and behavioral differences have consequences for our health, including the prevalence, development, and treatment of mental disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancers, among many other diseases and conditions. But we won’t know all we need to know until more research is conducted.

It is important to study the health of women and sex-and-gender differences in health not only to improve women’s health outcomes, but also to improve the health of society as a whole. According to a review published in 2016, societies that prioritize women’s health will likely have better population health overall. Women and men may have different symptoms and responses to treatments. By studying these sex-and-gender differences further and translating findings into practical applications as we do at WHRY, health outcomes can be improved for both women and men.

Studying the health of women and sex-and-gender differences, with its focus on making up for years in which women did not have equal standing in health research, does share a common background with feminism. Maybe, as my friend suggested, it is forcing feminism into health care.

But is that a bad thing? Feminism, as a principle, aims for equity and the advancement of both sexes, by eliminating sexist behavior and empowering women to achieve their full potential. I don’t see a downside to introducing these goals into health care. Quite the opposite, it seems like the scientifically and ethically sound thing to do for the betterment of everyone.

It’s time to study women and the differing aspects of our biology and behavior that make a difference to our health. It’s time for women’s health research.