Women comprise half the world’s population yet are largely underrepresented in health studies. In neuroscience specifically, they factor in as little as three per cent. Yet, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, women have higher rates of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. They are also three times more likely than men to develop dementia, which affects about 600,000 Canadians, per the Alzheimer Society of Canada. And, according to UBC’s Women’s Health Research Cluster, “Women experience poorer health from missed diagnoses (when they are diagnosed, it’s two years later for the same disease as a man’s), minimized symptoms, greater burdens of specific diseases, and poorly targeted treatment compared to men.”
Female scientists are all too aware of the long-standing disparity —in the incidence in Alzheimer’s disease, in the incidence of poor diagnoses, and in the incidence of study subjects — despite more women entering the health and science fields. Typical reasons given are that, historically, more men than women are employed in health sciences and there’s likely a self-interest at stake; that women, because of their biological make-up (menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause), are too complicated to study; and because, if women are included in studies, twice as many participants are needed, which makes them more expensive. To hear what two of Canada’s top neuroscientists, including one with the name Einstein (and yes, she’s related) had to say about how that’s changing (slowly), as well as other promising research they’re working on, click here to read my latest piece in Postmedia’s Healthing section.
Robin Roberts 