The publication of England’s first Men’s Health Strategy has sparked predictable debate about whether men need a strategy of their own. However, a gendered approach to healthcare is not about identity politics; it is evidence-led. The World Health Organization, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other major public health bodies all recognise gender as a key social determinant of health. Healthy life expectancy for men in the UK has reduced by one and a half years in the last decade, highlighting the need for such a strategy. At the same time, women face distinct health challenges that require focused strategies to tackle deep rooted system issues.
Gender shapes health in many ways, influencing how people interact with the healthcare system. Men are often more likely to delay seeking help and present late with serious symptoms. For instance, prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in men in the UK, accounting for about 14% of all male cancer deaths, despite often being curable when caught early. But even when early symptoms appear, many men do not come forward straight away and the absence of a national screening program exacerbates this issue.
On the other hand, women often seek help early but struggle to be taken seriously. Over 750,000 women are currently waiting for gynaecological appointments in the UK. This includes women with conditions like endometriosis who are facing years being undiagnosed or living in unnecessary pain due to a widespread lack of awareness and understanding among primary healthcare practitioners. There is a critical need for an urgent overhaul of women’s health in the UK to address systemic challenges ensuring they have equitable and timely access to treatment and care.
A gender-neutral model has produced unequal outcomes for both men and women. Men account for most premature deaths from heart disease and avoidable cancer, and a man loses his life to suicide every two hours. Women, meanwhile, carry a higher burden of chronic illness and still live with the inequitable legacy of being under-represented in research and treatment design.
We have already seen the difference a gendered approach to healthcare can make. An evaluation of Women’s Health Hubs, scaled up through the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, found women reported more joined-up and easier-to-navigate care. It is welcome that the Government has committed to renewing the Women’s Health Strategy next year. This refresh must align the strategy with the 10-Year Plan and have a clear implementation schedule and key performance indicators if it is to live up to its promise of delivering systemic change.
The case for a Men’s Health Strategy is that both men and women experience different, avoidable failures in a system that was never designed with gender in mind. Recognising men’s health needs does not detract from women’s; it addresses another deep-rooted systemic challenge.
From teaming up with the Premier League to use matchdays to tackle mental health stigma to investing in community-based men’s health programmes, England’s new Men’s Health Strategy focuses on practical steps that make it easier for men to get help earlier. Continued investment in women’s health initiatives also ensures that government is prioritising equitable access to treatment and care for women and girls across the UK.
And industry has a pivotal role to play in driving change across both men’s and women’s health. Increasingly, we are seeing major industry players joining forces to tackle systemic challenges and advocate for policy reform. For us to see a real transformation in the delivery of gender-specific care, collaboration must extend beyond policy discussions. It demands sustained partnerships across government, industry and advocacy leaders to accelerate access and modernise our health system to ensure that men and women, regardless of demographic, have equitable access to the treatment and care they need for conditions specific to their gender.
