What changed

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

P10_TA(2026)0305

on genderGender inequalities in health, specifically as regards gender-specific conditions

(2025/2074(INI))

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

PE782.188

European Parliament resolution of 16 September 2026 on gender inequalities in health, specifically as regards gender-specific conditions (2025/2074(INI))

The European Parliament,

B. whereas multiple and intersecting barriers to accessing healthcare services, as well as complex health needs, are encountered by refugee and ethnic minority women, women living in poverty, unhoused women, women in precarious employment or with unpaid care responsibilities, older women, women with disabilities, women residing in rural and socio-economically disadvantaged areas and individuals from LGBTIQ+ communities in particular; whereas an intersectional approach to women’s health is therefore essential;

✦ Wording Drops the words "culturally sensitive" from the description of quality healthcare for vulnerable groups.

C. whereas poverty and social exclusion have a significant impact on health outcomes and access to healthcare; whereas women face greater financial barriers than men in accessing health services; whereas these barriers are further exacerbated for vulnerable groups, who often face additional layers of discrimination and encounter multiple barriers to accessing inclusive, culturally sensitive and quality healthcare;

D. whereas unequal access to healthcare services across the EU, particularly in rural, remote and mountainous areas, islands and outermost regions, constitutes a significant barrier to timely diagnosis and treatment, including for pregnant women;

S. whereas harmful chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, increase the risk of reproductive disorders by interfering with male and female hormonal systems, and contribute to significant consequences for health;

✦ Formal Updates the decimal separator in the figure on premenstrual dysphoric disorder from a point to a comma.

T. whereas gender inequalities, including the unequal allocation of informal and unpaid care responsibilities and disproportionate exposure to gender-based violence, the burden of chronic pain and gender-specific conditions, as well as socio-economic status, contribute to higher rates of anxiety, depression and stress-related conditions among women; whereas girls and women are exposed from an early age to persistent social, cultural and commercial pressures related to beauty standards, which promote unrealistic body ideals and disproportionately affect their self-esteem, mental health and well-being; whereas eating disorders are among the most enfeebling psychiatric conditions that affect young women, with at least one person dying as a direct result of an eating disorder every 62 minutes; whereas premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects at least 1.61,6 % of women;

U. whereas the digitalisation of healthcare and the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) risk reinforcing existing gender and racial biases; whereas these biases, stemming from non-representative datasets, can cause AI tools to downplay female medical symptoms; whereas sex- and gender-disaggregated data should be used to train AI in healthcare to enable it to recognise critical differences in disease progression, symptoms and drug metabolism between men and women;

X. whereas cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the EU, with a higher mortality rate among women than men, despite prevailing societal misconceptions; whereas these perceptions contribute to lower levels of risk awareness among women and healthcare professionals and lower rates of participation in cardiovascular screenings; whereas cardiovascular disease risk assessment models frequently overlook most gender-specific biological, social and psychosocial factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, gynaecological history, early menopause, intimate partner violence, socio-economic status and chronic stress, thereby contributing to women’s vulnerability to ischemic heart disease and delayed diagnosis and treatment; whereas improving awareness, training and diagnosis of sex-specific cardiovascular symptoms is essential to ensure timely treatment, reduce avoidable health risks for women and strengthen the effectiveness of prevention and healthcare systems;

✦ Formal Updates the decimal separator in the figure on women diagnosed with cancer from a point to a comma.

Y. whereas cancer is the second-greatest cause of death in the EU and has a higher mortality rate among men than women; whereas approximately 12 million European women are living with cancer, and more than 1.21,2 million women are diagnosed with cancer in the EU every year, with nearly 600 000 losing their lives; whereas the 2022 EU target to offer cancer screenings to at least 90 % of those eligible by 2025 has not been met universally across the EU;

Z. whereas full, effective and universal access to SRHR, including comprehensive, age-appropriate and science-based sexuality and relationship education, affordable and high-quality contraception, fertility care and safe and legal abortion services, is a fundamental pillar of gender equality, social justice, bodily integrity, privacy and personal autonomy, and is essential to countering disinformation and stigma and ensuring the dignity, health and equal participation of women and girls in all areas of life; whereas despite some progress, in practice, sexual and reproductive health services and access to related information remain partially unavailable in some Member States; whereas the lack of systematic data collection and insufficient disaggregated data on SRHR make it difficult to develop effective policies and address inequalities, particularly for women in vulnerable situations;

AD. whereas sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionately affect women and continue to surge across the EU, while a lack of data and significant barriers to preventative measures and testing are hindering efforts to curb the epidemics of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis;

✦ Wording Replaces "the menstruating population" with "menstruating women" and "young people" with "girls" in the description of those affected by menstrual poverty.

AE. whereas menstrual poverty – to be understood as insufficient access to menstrual hygiene products and facilities – affects an estimated 10 % of the menstruating population,women, particularly women with low incomes, refugees, young peoplegirls and women with disabilities;

AF. whereas inadequately funded and substandard maternity care can significantly impact the decision to have children; whereas postpartum depression is a mental health condition affecting 12 % of mothers in the EU after childbirth;

AG. whereas globally, one in six people face infertility, translating to approximately 25 million EU citizens, with women disproportionately affected by both the social stigma and the physical burden of treatment; whereas polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome is a common endocrine disorder affecting an estimated 11 % to 13 % of women worldwide, of which 70 % remain undiagnosed; whereas this disorder can cause severe pain, heavy bleeding and fatigue and has significant implications for fertility and long-term metabolic health; whereas no approved treatment currently exists that addresses the root causes of the condition due to limited understanding of its underlying mechanisms;

✦ Formal Updates the decimal separator in the figure on women experiencing menopause globally from a point to a comma.

AH. whereas 85 % of women experience menopause symptoms; whereas by 2030, an estimated 1.21,2 billion women globally will be experiencing menopause; whereas reproductive and hormonal shifts such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause have a profound impact on women’s physical, mental and social well-being throughout their lives; whereas menopause and perimenopause remain insufficiently recognised as major health and social issues, with associated symptoms widely disregarded, leading to unequal access to specialist and evidence-based care, unequal availability of hormone therapies and inadequate workplace accommodations; whereas the lack of adequate menopause care contributes to stigma, discrimination at work and a deterioration in quality of life, with direct consequences for economic independence and social participation;

AI. whereas endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting 10 % to 15 % of women of reproductive age and can cause symptoms such as severe pain, fatigue and heavy bleeding; whereas this results in an estimated annual cost of sick leave of EUR 30 billion in the EU;

AJ. whereas, despite the prevalence of endometriosis, it takes on average 6 to 10 years to diagnose, resulting in prolonged suffering, reduced quality of life and increased socio-economic costs, including loss of productivity and increased pressure on healthcare systems; whereas early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can significantly improve health outcomes; whereas the diagnostic delay for endometriosis is structural and reflects gender inequalities and bias in healthcare;

✦ Formal Updates the decimal separator in the figure on the delay in diagnosing metabolic diseases in women from a point to a comma.

AK. whereas metabolic diseases such as diabetes are diagnosed about 4.54,5 years later in women than in men and woman experience significantly worse long-term health outcomes than men, including a 30 % higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease; whereas women with type 1 diabetes are four times more likely to develop pre-eclampsia and women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a high probability of developing type 2 diabetes within five years of giving birth; whereas children born to mothers with GDM are up to six times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity than those born to mothers without GDM;

AL. whereas osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases as well as musculoskeletal disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis, gout and back pain, continue to be frequently minimised in clinical practice, underfunded and under-researched;

General considerations

✦ Adds a new first paragraph stating that health policy, medical research and clinical practice must be grounded in scientific evidence and objective biological facts, and drops the word "systemic" before inequalities in the following paragraph.

1. Stresses that gender inequalities in health are multifaceted and a violation of fundamental rights, with systemic inequalities resulting from decades of medical research based on and designed around the male anatomy, which in turn has shaped the entire cycle of care from diagnostics to treatment; underlines that the recognition of this imbalance presents an opportunity to redesign research frameworks, clinical guidelines and care delivery; highlights that these inequalities affect both life-threatening and non-fatal chronic conditions, and have a substantial impact on the physical, mental and social well-being of women and gender-diverse people in particular; underlines that gender equality in health policy is a prerequisite for equal opportunities, economic participation and social cohesion, and should be pursued in a way that empowers women while preserving individual responsibility and freedom of choice;

1. Underlines that health policy, medical research and clinical practice must be grounded in robust scientific evidence, objective biological facts concerning women and men, and the highest standards of medical expertise;

2. Stresses that gender inequalities in health are multifaceted and a violation of fundamental rights, with inequalities resulting from decades of medical research based on and designed around the male anatomy, which in turn has shaped the entire cycle of care from diagnostics to treatment; underlines that the recognition of this imbalance presents an opportunity to redesign research frameworks, clinical guidelines and care delivery; highlights that these inequalities affect both life-threatening and non-fatal chronic conditions, and have a substantial impact on the physical, mental and social well-being of women and gender-diverse people in particular; underlines that gender equality in health policy is a prerequisite for equal opportunities, economic participation and social cohesion, and should be pursued in a way that empowers women while preserving individual responsibility and freedom of choice;

3. Stresses that health is a shared concern across the EU and that full respect for the principle of subsidiarity and Member States’ responsibility for organising their health systems should not prevent coordinated action; highlights that coordinated EU action strengthens resilience, ensures continuity of care during crises, reduces inequalities between Member States and guarantees that citizens’ health rights are effectively protected; underlines that women make up just over half of the population in the EU and the majority of the health and care workforce, and that EU-level cooperation is essential to ensure equitable access to gender-responsive health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, maternal care and prevention and treatment of female-prevalent conditions; calls for a more effective use of cross-border cooperation to deliver clear added value, such as access to specialised care and expertise on rare diseases;

6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address geographical disparities in accessing healthcare, which particularly affect women in rural and remote areas, islands and outermost regions, through coordination, funding and knowledge-sharing mechanisms at EU level; urges the Member States to tackle transport-related barriers to accessing healthcare by integrating a gender perspective into health infrastructure planning, including through the development of mobile healthcare units, telemedicine solutions and accessible public transport connections to healthcare facilities;

✦ Drops the call for a holistic, rights-based and intersectional approach and for binding targets, and adds a reference to the principle of subsidiarity and to science-based, innovation-friendly health policies.

6.7. Calls on policymakers and healthcare professionals to take a holistic, rights-based and intersectional approach to addressingaddress inequalities, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, and to correct discrepancies with binding, measurable targets and accountability as innovative new treatments and procedures are developed; calls for the incorporation of a sex- and gender-informed perspective in all EU health legislation and initiatives; emphasises the importance of science-based, efficient and innovation-friendly health policies that take into account biological and social differences between women and men and that address the disparities therein; reiterates that research and innovation models in the health sector should drive developments that are in the interest of citizens;

✦ Drops the call for binding targets and adds that member states should retain discretion to tailor implementation to national contexts.

7.8. Encourages the Commission to include, as part of a comprehensive EU women’s health strategy, clear, public, measurable and binding targets with accountability to address health inequalities in EU policy and funding instruments, while ensuring that Member States retain sufficient discretion to tailor implementation to national contexts, and to implement a transparent monitoring system for these targets, notably for gender-specific conditions, with comparable indicators and follow-up actions where targets are not met, including a reassessment of funding priorities to ensure that inequalities in health are addressed in the most efficient way;

✦ Adds a paragraph stressing the importance of high-quality maternal healthcare for pregnant women.

9. Stresses the importance of ensuring high-quality maternal healthcare for pregnant women;

10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen health literacy by funding targeted, evidence-based, awareness-raising and communication campaigns to ensure that women and other vulnerable groups can make informed decisions about their health; stresses the importance of reliable, evidence-based and age-appropriate health information for women and girls as well as men and boys throughout the life course, and of education on SRHR, including fertility, pregnancy, contraception, maternal health and post-natal care, consent, bodily integrity, privacy, personal autonomy, respect and the prevention of gender-based violence; calls on the Commission to issue recommendations to the Member States on the provision of comprehensive sexuality education, in line with UNESCO standards;

Research, including clinical trials

✦ Drops the call for mandatory requirements and for sex- and gender-sensitive research design, asking instead for sex-sensitive requirements throughout the research cycle.

10.12. Expresses concern that despite improvements to inclusivity in clinical trials, the representation of women and gender-diverse people remains below that of men and should be strengthened by introducing sex-disaggregated reporting; stresses that there are no inclusivity requirements in the pretrial phase and that the majority of animal testing is still conducted on males of the species only; stresses the need for clinical trials to take into account differences in outcomes pertaining to hormonal fluctuations and life stages; recognises that pregnant women are often excluded from clinical trials; calls on the Commission to introduce mandatory requirements for sex- and gender-sensitivesex-sensitive research design throughout the full research cycle, including in the pretrial phase and animal testing, to address the ongoing imbalance in clinical trial participation;

✦ Adds a paragraph clarifying that research design in animal testing should better take into account biological sex and sex-based biological differences.

13. Clarifies that, in the specific context of animal testing, research design should better take into account biological sex and the study of sex-based biological differences;

14. Welcomes the EMA’s intention to adopt a new ‘guideline on inclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding individuals in clinical trials’ without compromising the safety of the expecting individual and child; urges the EMA to adopt similar guidelines to improve the inclusion of other vulnerable and under-represented communities, for example older women and gender-diverse and intersex people, as well as ethnic minorities and marginalised communities;

15. Urges the EMA to ensure that the evaluation and authorisation of generic medicinal products, as well as biopharmaceutical innovations, adequately consider sex- and gender-specific differences throughout the entire life cycle of a product from early-stage research to clinical validation, with a view to ensuring equal levels of safety and efficacy for all patients;

✦ Replaces the call to make sex- and gender-disaggregated data collection mandatory with a call to promote it in all EU-funded projects.

13.16. Stresses that the lack of understanding of sex- and gender-based differences in health is exacerbated by the fact that the data outcomes of research are rarely disaggregated by sex and gender; calls on the Commission to makepromote the collection and reporting of sex- and gender-disaggregated data mandatory in all EU-funded projects so as to ensure accountability and the effective use of public resources; notes that AI could be used to identify sex or gender biases in existing or historical research to prevent the need to repeat the research; warns, however, that the use of AI must be monitored closely to ensure that it does not impose biases;

17. Stresses that the lack of systematic collection of disaggregated data undermines the development of effective, evidence-based policies, including on sexual and reproductive health, and that an exposome approach to research is required; calls for improved collection, harmonisation and use of sex- and gender-disaggregated data, as well as intersectional data, in all areas of health policy, research and innovation, and pilot projects across the EU; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that a strong gender perspective is incorporated into the implementation of the European Health Data Space;

20. Urges the medical profession to apply a precision-medicine approach to treatment, in order to complement any measures taken to reduce inequality and increase investment in medical research; calls on the Member States to establish pilot programmes on gender-sensitive healthcare, notably in areas where programmes are non-existent or severely lacking, such as menstrual, perimenopausal, cardiovascular and mental health; points out that fears of misconceptions, misinterpretation of symptoms, judgement and stigmatisation can discourage women from seeking timely medical advice, resulting in avoidable complications and poorer long-term outcomes; calls for measures to be taken to change misperceptions among medical professionals and to address public misconceptions; calls for multidisciplinary collaboration in women’s healthcare to gain a better understanding of gendered health conditions and corresponding gaps in treatment;

✦ Drops the word "compulsory" before gender-sensitive, intersectional and patient-centred healthcare training in medical, nursing and obstetrics curricula.

18.21. Underlines that medical professionals must act in a non-discriminatory manner; urges the Member States, in close cooperation with the medical profession and educational institutions, to integrate compulsory, gender-sensitive, intersectional and patient-centred healthcare training into their medical, nursing and obstetrics curricula to ensure that medical professionals are equipped to recognise and respond to the specific needs of women and girls, including through training on gender prejudice, on pain management, on SRHR, on the prevention of discrimination, on conditions with a high prevalence in women, on how symptoms and treatment needs may change across hormonal life stages and on the wider recognition of gender-specific symptoms; stresses that such training should also include teaching on gender and cultural sensitivity; underlines that the development of measures to make diagnostic and treatment processes more gender-sensitive and responsive must take full account of real patient experiences;

22. Calls on the Commission to encourage the exchange of best practice and knowledge on how the healthcare workforce can be better trained and more attentive to sex- and gender-responsive healthcare; calls for the establishment of a European Reference Network (ERN) on women’s health, building on the model of existing ERNs for rare diseases, to strengthen research collaboration, improve clinical practice and ensure that women’s specific health needs are systematically addressed across the EU;

Gender-specific conditions

✦ Formal Updates the decimal separator in the figure on the delay in diagnosing women with diabetes and metabolic diseases from a point to a comma.

36.39. Expresses concern that, despite cardiovascular disease and heart diseases being the leading causes of death among women, women are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed, in part due to the fact that women’s symptoms present differently to men’s; stresses that gender-specific biological, social and psychosocial risk factors play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease and heart disease in women; emphasises that late diagnosis delays access to timely and appropriate care, further increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications; underlines that women living with diabetes and other metabolic diseases are, on average, diagnosed up to 4.54,5 years later than men, and face an approximately 30 % higher risk of cardiovascular mortality; supports a strong EU framework for combating major diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, ensuring equal access for women to preventative care, early diagnosis, treatment and survivorship support;

40. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment, made in its December 2025 communication on the Safe Hearts Plan, to invest in research to advance the understanding of sex- and/or gender-specific mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases; calls for the Safe Hearts Plan to integrate a holistic gender-sensitive approach to cardiovascular care, including with regard to screening, prevention campaigns, data collection, diagnostic criteria and clinical guidelines in order to improve early detection, ensure equitable care and reduce avoidable mortality among women; calls on the Commission and the Member States to engage in campaigns to raise awareness, dispel the misconception that cardiovascular disease primarily affects men, and promote preventative measures;

✦ Formal Updates the decimal separator in the figure on the delay in diagnosing cancer in women from a point to a comma.

38.41. Highlights the fact that cancer is the second-greatest cause of death in the EU, affecting more men than women, on average; notes that some cancers present differently in men than in women, and some cancers are specific to, or more prevalent in, certain sexes; expresses concern that, on average, cancer in women is diagnosed 2.52,5 years later than it is in men; underlines that more research is required into the impact of sex/gender factors on the occurrence of cancer, how it manifests and how it responds to existing treatments;

42. Highlights that lesbian women are statistically less likely to access routine screening, often due to misconceptions or previous negative experiences with healthcare providers; underlines the need for tailored information to tackle misconceptions and ensure that lesbian women, transgender and gender-diverse people receive appropriate screening and preventive care, and, in the case of transgender people, gender-sensitive treatment; stresses that access to healthcare, including preventive care, should be based on health needs; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is implemented through a strong gender lens; welcomes the Commission’s intention to issue guidance to financial undertakings on offering cancer patients fair access to financial services, but stresses the need for an EU-wide right to be forgotten for patients who have recovered from cancer, to prevent further discrimination in access to financial services, such as insurance and loans;

60. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen gender-responsive policies in care for older persons, recognising that women represent the majority of older Europeans; calls for solutions that support accessible, affordable, high-quality and long-term care services that respect the dignity, autonomy and health of older women; encourages the sharing of best practices on gender-responsive treatment for older women, including preventive measures such as adequate nutrition and exercise, timely diagnosis and care for illnesses, and tailored approaches for women living in institutional settings and those with memory-disabling diseases who may struggle to express their needs, preferences and symptoms; stresses that there is a higher prevalence of memory-disabling diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, among women than men, primarily due to women’s longer average lifespans, but it is also evident among women and men of the same age;

✦ Drops the reference to budgetary measures when calling on the Commission to complement the Gender Equality Strategy by prioritising investment in women's health.

58.61. Welcomes the publication of the Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 and the commitments therein to addressing the inequalities in women’s healthcare and advancing SRHR; calls for the Commission to complement the Gender Equality Strategy in its forthcoming policy and budgetary measures by prioritising and incentivising dedicated and targeted investment in women’s health; stresses that investment in gender-specific conditions should reflect their severity and prevalence, while continuing to support research into rare diseases; points out that upcoming strategies must incorporate an integrated approach to care and the goal of improving physical and mental health;

Funding

63. Strongly supports gender mainstreaming across all EU policies and the EU budget, including the systematic consideration of the health needs of women across all stages of their lives; calls for the Commission to launch, without delay, dedicated and targeted funding calls for research and EU-related actions on gender-specific conditions and projects, in order to close the gap in sex- and gender-specific health data; recommends the establishment of an expert group on research and innovation in women’s health to guide the development and collaborative implementation of the women’s health research plan; stresses that such funding should prioritise public research and support access to healthcare systems for everyone, taking into account social and regional inequalities;

✦ Adds a paragraph stating that a competitive, enterprise-driven economy is essential to sustaining high-quality healthcare and calling for policies that reward medical innovation and remove regulatory burdens.

64. Underlines that a competitive, enterprise-driven economy is essential to sustaining high-quality healthcare and delivering better health outcomes for women; calls for policies that reward medical innovation, attract private investment and support economic growth, while removing unnecessary regulatory burdens that hold back European health businesses, researchers and the development of new treatments for women;

65. Stresses that closing gender health gaps is first and foremost a matter of fundamental rights; considers, however, the improvement of gender equality overall, but notably in the area of health research, to be a competitive opportunity for the EU and a driver of productivity and long-term fiscal sustainability; highlights that the World Economic Forum estimates that closing investment gaps in women’s healthcare could boost the global economy by USD 1 trillion annually by 2040; points out that the gap in sex-specific health data constitutes a scarcity in the underlying basic science on gender-specific conditions, which constrains private-sector actors willing to invest in applied and development research; stresses that dedicating EU funding to addressing gender inequalities in health through the current and future Horizon Europe programmes, the European Competitiveness Fund and the current and future EU4Health programmes, coupled with measures to close the data gaps, could incentivise investment and boost innovation in the EU;

69. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Gender inequalities in healthcare in the European Union remains a significant challenge despite some regulatory measures taken and official commitments to improve equality. This report examines the multifaceted reasons for the persistent gender inequalities in health and considers the entire cycle of healthcare, from clinical trials and drug development to diagnostics and treatment. The report also highlights the inequalities that exist in the treatment of gender-specific conditions, such as menopause, endometriosis etc.

Whilst the thrust of the inequalities discussed in this report concern gender inequalities as they pertain to women, many of the sources of inequality apply equally to other groups of people, such as transgender people and ethnic minority communities, and the rapporteur intends for the actions he proposes to also benefit these groups.

The rapporteur believes that, given the complex origins of the gender inequalities, policy makers must take a holistic approach to these and work closely with the medical profession and civil society. The rapporteur reiterates his support for gender mainstreaming throughout all relevant policies and the EU budget and considers this a necessary catalyst for addressing the specific sources of inequality.

Much of the inequality stems from systemic biases within the medical eco-system. Medical research and drug development have historically been male-centric. This bias ignores the fact that medical conditions may present differently in the female body and the female anatomy may react differently to drugs and treatments. These knowledge gaps are compounded by the consistent and repeated underfunding of research into women’s health and gender-specific conditions, with only 5 % of global research and development funding allocated to women’s health research in 20201.

Despite the considerable medical advances in the last 50 years and improvements to national healthcare systems, women persistently face misdiagnosis, dismissal of their symptoms, and adverse drug reactions. Often, there is simply not a known effective treatment for their condition, like in the cases of endometriosis and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

The inequalities women are subject to in healthcare are often mirrored and even amplified by intersectional inequality faced by other underrepresented communities, including transgender people and ethnic minority and migrant communities, as well as by geographical inequalities.

Clinical Trials

The EU Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 introduced obligations designed to promote inclusivity, including the need to scientifically justify why certain groups are excluded. Nonetheless, representation of women in clinical trials remains below that of men and the disparity is particularly acute for pregnant and breastfeeding women, with less than 0.4 % of clinical trials in the EU including pregnant women2. Moreover, there are no obligations to ensure diversity in the pre-trial phase with the majority of animal testing still conducted on male species only3.

The report also highlights the lack of sex-disaggregated data which contributes to the knowledge gap in women’s health.

Diagnostics and Treatment

The historic male-centred approach to medicine has been embedded in diagnostic and treatment procedures and the lack of a gender-sensitive approach to medicine can lead to substandard and higher risk treatment for women.

For example, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women in the EU yet their symptoms present in a so-called “atypical” manner and so women are twice as likely to have heart failure misdiagnosed4. The treatment of pain and of mental health also provides stark examples of the ingrained biases in diagnostics and treatment.

The rapporteur considers it essential that Member States, in close cooperation with the medical profession and educational institutions, integrate gender-sensitive healthcare training into the medical curriculum. The rapporteur also stresses that any changes to bedside procedures should be informed by real-life patient experience.

Gender-specific conditions

Due to chronic underfunding and lack of prioritisation in research, the medical advancements for gender-specific issues are lagging and the gap is particularly pronounced for female-specific issues.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic condition which can cause symptoms such as severe pain, heavy bleeding, and fatigue. It is estimated that endometriosis affects 10 % – 15 % of women of reproductive age5. Due to lack of understanding among medical professionals and inbuilt biases which result in the dismissal of symptoms – often as “normal period pain” – the condition takes, on average, 6 to 10 years to diagnose. This delay is systemic, not accidental.

Menopause

85 % of women experience menopause symptoms and by 2030, an estimated 1.2 billion women will be experiencing menopause globally6. Yet, access to care varies widely between countries and it is often still shrouded in social stigma. Moreover, menopause care is hindered by long waiting times, limited specialist services, and inconsistent guidelines for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Many patients report that symptoms are dismissed as “normal ageing,” reinforcing gendered assumptions about women’s health and resilience. Furthermore, the majority of existing medical research focuses on the years of fertility and, therefore, overlooks puberty, perimenopause and menopause.

Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights

An individuals’ ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) and their right to bodily integrity and autonomy must be guaranteed in order to achieve gender equality. As such, the rapporteur believes that the SRHR and the right to safe and legal abortion should be enshrined in the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The adoption of Parliament’s response to the European Citizen’s Initiative, “My Voice, My Choice” in December 2025 was a momentous achievement, issuing a strong call on the Commission to take action. Moreover, the report sends a meaningful signal to the EU citizens that Parliament supports the rights of women and girls and will fight to ensure equality.

Funding

The rapporteur recognises that EU funding can play a significant role in encouraging far greater investment in research into gender-specific issues and addressing the inequalities in access to treatment across the Union. He is of the view that dedicated funding calls for gender-specific conditions may be necessary.

In this report, the rapporteur highlights that investing in closing the gap in sex-specific health data presents a competitive opportunity for Europe. Not only could it contribute to addressing the loss to the EU economy from sick leave for gender-specific conditions7, but could also crowd in private investment and offer a solid basis for further innovation in Europe.

As a first step, the Commission must use the forthcoming Strategy on Gender Equality (2026-2030) to reinforce and build upon the principles on women’s health set out in its 2025 Roadmap for Women’s Rights by proposing concrete measures that will prioritise and incentivise investment into gender-specific conditions.