OPINION PIECE: Let’s drop the competition over which gender is worse off

It is not difficult to find a Danish man who is lonely, struggling, or waits far too long to contact a doctor when seriously ill.

It is also not hard to point to women in Denmark who live with pain or reduced ability to work because they are misdiagnosed or diagnosed too late in a healthcare system that, in many ways, is based on male biology.

The challenges are significant - for both genders. But we undermine ourselves when these problems turn into a competition over which gender’s challenges are more overlooked in public debate and in the healthcare system.

It is based on a misunderstanding

In the autumn of 2025, the then-government allocated 160 million DKK to establish a new National Center for Research in Women’s Health.

This is good news. But it is also news that prompted many - especially men - to respond. Several expressed concern that focusing on women’s health would skew attention and resources, leaving men with even less.

The concern is interesting, but it is based on a misunderstanding.

We should not treat everyone the same

A crucial point is that we must research the health of men and women separately - just as it makes sense to approach them differently in municipal health services and the healthcare system overall.

Men and women have different biological conditions, including hormones, disease progression, symptoms, and risk profiles. At the same time, there are gendered patterns in behavior, socialization, and expectations.

A fair healthcare system is not one that treats everyone the same. It is one that treats everyone appropriately. And we can only do that when research helps us better understand the challenges and solutions for each gender.

Differentiation is already central to municipal efforts.

When municipalities meet citizens in their everyday lives, habits, and challenges, they increasingly base their efforts on differing needs and life situations. Prevention, health promotion, and rehabilitation are becoming more targeted rather than standardized.

This is precisely why municipalities can play a key role in reducing health inequality.

But we are not there yet. If we are to truly reduce health inequality, municipalities must become even better at tailoring interventions—including by gender. More gender-specific research can play a decisive role by providing a stronger professional foundation for targeted efforts.

There are 30 billion kroner to gain

When it comes to women’s health, we face a major knowledge gap that is both complex and important.

Women live longer on average than men, but they also live more years with illness. The Danish Chamber of Commerce estimates that closing the health gap between genders could add around 30 billion DKK annually to the Danish economy - about 1% of GDP.

Women’s health is not only about gynecology, menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth. Many diseases manifest differently in women than in men, which affects how they are detected and treated.

Historically, much research has been conducted on men; they were considered methodologically easier because they do not become pregnant and do not have cycles that researchers must account for. As a result, knowledge about symptoms, medication, and medical equipment is largely based on the male body.

Women therefore receive more misdiagnoses and later treatment. They also experience more and longer-lasting side effects - especially with chronic diseases - because medication dosing is rarely gender-specific.

This has both personal and societal consequences.

Men and women face different challenges

It is not surprising that men feel the urge to ask, “What about us?” when women’s health research suddenly becomes a priority.

Men have their own serious health challenges - especially regarding mental health. They die by suicide three times as often as women, seek help less frequently and later, and are far more likely to end up in substance abuse - often as a coping strategy.

It is encouraging that the gap in life expectancy between men and women is narrowing, but men still live shorter lives. They are more often homeless, and when affected by mental illness, their life expectancy is reduced almost twice as much as women’s. Much suggests that a key explanation is that they encounter a healthcare system that is less capable of building trust and meeting the needs of especially less-educated men.

The point is that gender is a crucial factor when we talk about health. Men and women face different challenges. And different solutions are needed - both biologically and, just as importantly, in how the healthcare system engages with them.

Polarization arises when the debate is based on a zero-sum assumption.

Gender-specific research benefits everyone

Funding for women’s health does not automatically come at the expense of men’s health. On the contrary, gender-specific research can benefit both—when applied appropriately.

One example is personalized medicine, which tailors prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to the individual patient rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. It is gaining ground, especially in cancer treatment, and requires gender-specific knowledge of genetics and biomarkers.

Better data on women also improves overall medical understanding. For instance, research into hormonal mechanisms has had broad implications across multiple disease areas.

If we do not actively investigate gender differences in research, we risk overlooking biological variations in areas such as immune response, ADHD, cardiovascular disease, side effects, and pain perception.

We must take health inequality seriously

Equality in health is a core value in healthcare reform. True equality requires recognizing that different groups have different needs.

Municipal health services demonstrate this in practice. Efforts work best when they account for differences between people - including gender. Reaching those who do not engage with healthcare services requires different approaches. This could include men’s groups or collaborations with associations that create safe environments for well-being among women with minority backgrounds.

Targeted interventions increase participation and effectiveness, especially among groups that otherwise do not use health services.

A more nuanced view of health is not about special treatment. It is a prerequisite for a healthcare system that truly reaches everyone.

Let us drop the competition over who is worse off. Instead, we should take health inequalities seriously and examine why and how gender is a crucial factor.

Now that 160 million DKK has been allocated to research in women’s health, let us hope there will also be initiatives to strengthen research in men’s health - especially regarding mental illness, interaction with the healthcare system, and prevention of lifestyle diseases.

And let us hope that together we can better understand gender differences in disease and treatment so we can develop more targeted and equitable solutions for all.

Contact

Dean Anne-Mette Hvas
Aarhus University, Health
Phone. 87 15 20 07
Mail: dean.health@au.dk