On International Women’s Day, discussions about equality often focus on the workplace, politics, or society. But gender equality is also an important issue in healthcare, according to Dr Emmanuelle Wilhelm, who spoke with RTL.
Originally from Luxembourg, Dr Wilhelm is a neuroscientist and medical doctor currently conducting research on Parkinson’s disease in Madrid. At the start of her studies, she said, gender equality was not something she paid particular attention to.
Over time, however, she became increasingly aware of the issue and began noticing comments in professional environments that struck her as problematic. Looking back, she recalls thinking at times: “That’s actually a bit sexist.”
“I never really thought about it, even in medical school we were roughly represented 50/50.”
Although the number of women working in research has grown, women still represent only around 31 to 33 percent of scientists worldwide, Dr Wilhelm explained. Traditional stereotypes also persist, including the belief that men are more rational, quicker thinkers, or more creative in research, she said. Yet Dr Wilhelm said she has often worked closely with female colleagues, both as researchers and in the doctor–patient relationship.
While Parkinson’s disease is more common among men, Dr Wilhelm has worked with a significant number of female patients through a study on young-onset Parkinson’s disease, which allowed her to gain valuable insight into gender-related differences.
Some of the patients with Parkinson’s she worked with closely in the laboratory told her they sometimes felt their concerns or symptoms were not taken seriously by doctors.
As a result, some women consult several doctors before finally receiving a diagnosis or explanation for their symptoms. For Dr Wilhelm, this is a sign that the healthcare system still needs to evolve so that every patient feels listened to during a consultation. Otherwise, she said, it gives the impression that medical professionals may not be doing their job properly, which she finds troubling.
At the same time, Dr Wilhelm stressed that this problem does not necessarily stem from a lack of willingness or interest among doctors.
Today’s healthcare systems are under considerable pressure. Many doctors must deal with large administrative workloads, paperwork, and bureaucratic procedures, which can reduce the time available to speak with patients. As a result, diagnosis in women may sometimes take longer, not only because of time constraints, but also because of gaps in medical knowledge.
“Female patients sit in consultations feeling that their questions are not taken seriously or properly answered.”
Another important factor is that the symptoms of certain diseases can differ between women and men. Many descriptions in medical textbooks were historically based on observations of male patients. This means that the so-called “classic” symptoms of some illnesses are largely defined according to the male body.
When women present different or more subtle symptoms, there is a risk that these may be recognised later or not immediately linked to the correct condition.
Dr Wilhelm points to heart attacks as a well-known example. “Women often have different symptoms”, she explained. She added that while chest pain is the most commonly recognised sign, women may also experience fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, or a general feeling of discomfort. “Sometimes they simply feel unwell or unusually tired”, she said.
Because these symptoms are less typical, they may not always be immediately associated with a heart problem. This can be dangerous, as such conditions require rapid medical intervention. For this reason, Dr Wilhelm argued that the topic of sex and gender differences should play a much greater role in medical training in the future.
She also believes the general public should be better informed. “These are life-threatening situations, and people need to be better educated about them”, she emphasised.
Another issue relates to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Statistics show that women receive first aid less frequently than men in emergency situations, partly because some bystanders feel uncomfortable touching a woman’s chest. In life-threatening circumstances, however, this hesitation should not play any role.
Differences between men and women are not limited to symptoms, as they also affect how medications work. One major reason is that medical research has long focused primarily on men. In the past, women were often excluded from clinical trials, particularly after several medical scandals.
Dr Wilhelm explained that by the late 1970s women were largely excluded from clinical studies because researchers feared participants might become pregnant during trials, potentially endangering a fetus. The menstrual cycle was also considered a complicating factor, making data from male participants statistically easier to analyse.
This historical imbalance has had long-term consequences. Many medications were tested mainly on male bodies, meaning dosages and side effects were established on the basis of those results.
“We still have this idea that women are just small men, and that’s simply not true”, Dr Wilhelm said. Women have different body composition, metabolism, and hormonal systems, all of which can influence how medicines are absorbed and processed, she said.
As a result, medications can sometimes affect women differently or cause more side effects. Dr Wilhelm cited sleeping pills as an example: research has shown that women often still had significantly higher levels of the drug in their bloodstream the following morning. In response, health authorities adjusted the recommended dosage for women.
For Dr Wilhelm, these findings highlight the importance of including both women and men equally in medical research. Only then can treatments be developed that work optimally for everyone.
Modern medicine must therefore increasingly examine how drugs affect different sexes in order to provide safer and more effective treatments, she said. Researchers are gradually trying to address the historical imbalance, but the gap remains large and will require significant investment.
Dr Wilhelm explained that, according to analyses from the US, around 15 billion dollars may need to be invested over the next five years in research on women’s health to close the gap between research on men and women. This figure illustrates just how large the historical imbalance has been, and how women’s health has often not received the same priority as other research areas.
Despite this, Dr Wilhelm sees encouraging progress. The issue is receiving growing attention in both science and society. Increasing numbers of women are also entering medicine and research, which helps ensure that women’s health issues are more frequently raised and investigated.
For her, this represents an important step towards making medicine more accurate and fairer in the future. She also noted that more private individuals are investing in health technologies after failing to find solutions within traditional medical systems. This represents a rapidly developing market that could bring further advances for medicine, Dr Wilhelm concluded.
