Medical misogyny is a problem society can no longer ignore. For decades, women have been excluded from research and testing which has resulted in treatments designed for male bodies, while women’s needs are pushed aside. The consequences of this bias are not just frustrating, they are dangerous, even life-threatening. If medical researchers do not take inclusivity seriously, they will continue to fail half the population.
The authors of the article “Gender Bias in Medical Research” reference a study examining therapy for heart attack survivors, which included over 13,000 participants, all of whom were men. Despite the glaring omission, researchers recommended the treatment for “all survivors,” as if women’s biology did not matter. This is not just lazy science – it is reckless.
According to Caroline Emma Criado Perez, a British feminist author, women experience heart attacks differently than men, often showing symptoms like nausea or fatigue rather than chest pain. To make blanket recommendations without accounting for the differences is not only unhelpful but could cost lives.
Excluding women from research is not a new issue. While the National Institute of Health pushed for more female inclusion in studies starting in the 1980s, progress has been painfully slow. Even in preclinical testing where treatments are studied on animals or cells, the Financial Times reported that male subjects dominate. The result of the tests was medicine that is fine-tuned for male physiology but misses crucial nuances for women. It is like designing a shoe for one foot and expecting it to fit both.
Moreover, the problem goes beyond medicine. According to a 2024 study published in the Health Promotion International Journal led by Dr. Rebecca Szaba, CPR training dummies rarely represent women’s bodies, which leaves many people unprepared to perform life-saving compressions on female cardiac arrest victims. Unsurprisingly, women are less likely to survive cardiac arrest than men.
Additionally Forbes reported that the auto-industry predominantly uses crash-test dummies modeled on male bodies. Women are 17% more likely to die in car crashes and 73% more likely to sustain injuries than men. These numbers would improve if testing were more inclusive.
The root cause of the problem is androcentricity, a worldview that prioritizes men’s perspectives and needs. This is not just about outdated habits – it is a systemic issue that assumes men are the default. But biology is not one-size-fits-all. Women deserve better, and research that reflects everyone’s realities benefits all.
Inclusion is not about fairness but about accuracy and safety. Researchers must move beyond the blind spots and commit to truly representative studies. By making inclusivity a priority, the medical community can finally start creating solutions that help everyone, not just men.