Last Saturday, women were celebrated on numerous media platforms and even in stores on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day. Although this day has been celebrated on March 8 since 1911, women’s rights are far from being secured, and gender inequalities affect all’areas, including health. According to various recent studies from the University of Luxembourg, gender consideration can play a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases and disorders.
Diagnostic biases in female autism
This finding appears to be confirmed by Andreia Costa , a researcher at the Health and Behaviour Institute , regarding the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. "We are beginning to question the supposed higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in men. Women are likely underdiagnosed because diagnostic criteria do not take female-specific autism traits into account. We believe that women go more unnoticed because their social skills tend to be better than those of men. However, sociability is an important criterion in the evaluation of this disorder," she explains."From an early age, women are socially encouraged to be outgoing. This may be one of the reasons why they manage to camouflage their difficulties more easily than men by mimicking socially accepted behaviors," Costa continues.
Although this ability to develop social camouflage strategies can be beneficial for women when seeking employment, the advantage is often short-lived. "Once in a job, the effort required to maintain a facade and minimize their differences consumes a lot of energy and can lead to exhaustion, depression, or even burnout. A woman who does not socialize, who does not join her colleagues for lunch, will be judged more quickly than a man exhibiting the same behavior", adds the researcher.
The impact of inequalities on mental health and dementia
Women are also at a higher risk of developing dementia. According to the analysis conducted in 2023 by the CRISP project team (Cognitive Ageing : From Educational Opportunities to Individual Risk Profiles) ", higher dementia rates in women are less a result of biology but more because of women’s higher overall risk burden, indicated by lower educational attainment and more unfavourable health risk profiles", notes project coordinator Anja Leist.Among younger individuals, gender parity in healthcare is also lacking, according to the latest Health and Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) report. "Girls consistently report poorer mental health and well-being compared to boys", confirms Carolina Catunda , who is responsible for its publication every four year.
