Science needs not only many more mubles in leadership positions but also a medical investigation and attitude that takes them more into account.
[Este texto lo han escrito conjuntamente Júlia Pedreira y Silvia Gómez, investigadoras de ISGlobal y miembros de Women in Global Health Spain.]
Almost 73 years have passed since Rosalind Franklin Captured the iconic image that revealed the helical structure of DNA, 122 since Marie Curie Became the first woman awarded with a Nobel and 166 since Florence Nightingale It will revolutionize nursing with its notes.
Today, March 8, 2025We commemorate the Women’s fight and we claim the Equal rights.
Despite these inspiring milestones, the gender gap in science and medicine remains a reality. Really, Women represent less than 30% of scientific staffOccupy only the 32.2% leadership positions And they have received barely 6.7% of the Nobel Since the creation of the awards in 1901.
These figures evidence Crystal roofInvisible but real.
A male look
Beyond the low representation in science, gender biases influences the Research and Medical Atance. For decades, clinical trials have focused on male subjects, with a ratio of One woman every four menPresupposing that the result of the series applicable to the entire population. As a result, the Androcentric medicine has generated Knowledge gaps That directly affect the accuracy of diagnosis, respects treatments and pronomics in women.
An example is the Myocardial infarction. In women, Whose symptoms may include extreme fatigue, back pain or nausea, instead of typical intense chest pain in men. This difference in symptomatology leads to late diagnoses, increasing the risk of complications. Without going any further, a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (Jaha) concluded that, under the same circumstances, Women expected media 11 more minutes That men for emergencies.
Invisible cooling
Gender biases have also left certain cooling in the background, such as FibromyalgiaCooling that Between 80 and 96% of patients are womenOh la endometriosisaffecting a 10% of women of reproductive age (190 million), both infradiagnosed. For this last one, patients Tardan 7 or 8 years average to receive a diagnosisSupporting chronic pains sin effective or appropriate medical responses.
To address this problem, initiatives such as Endhealth, promoted by ISGlobal, work on the identification of risk factors and diagnostic strategies Treatment for endometriosis. Without this type of effort, the health system will still not provide adequate solutions for diseases that affect women.
Another initiative involved in improving women’s health is Manuela ProjectDeveloped by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), which seeks to combat misinformation on women’s health through the analysis of microbiota and the consideration of factors of factors such as life diet.
Correct biases is key to building a Inclusive and gender perspectiveWhere female health is investigated with the same rigor as the male.
Feminist science: What is and why import?
The Feminist science Part of the premise that the knowledge is not neutral, but is being influenced by the sociocultural context in which gender is. It questions the traditional approaches that have ignored the individuals of female health and promotes the most inclusive research.
An example of this focus is the Langbite programDeveloped by the Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) University and the University of Luxembourg, which uses artificial intelligence to detect gender inequalities in medical research and proponent solutions. Initiatives such as this allow to identify biases in clinical studies, guaranteeing that the results better reflect the needs of the entire population.
In addition to promoting female participation in science, the feminist perspective demands Rethink the methodologies and interpretation of dataGuaranteeing a more equitable and rigorous focus.
Today and every day
We have seen how gender gap In science and medicine, it is not only reflected in the low representative of women in leadership, but also in biases in research, invisible and additional barriers for migrant -The migrant.
In front of this panorama, the Feminist science It arises as a key tools to correct us disquilibries and ensure that it produces it of true inclusive knowledge. Moving towards a science without biases is not just a matter of equity, it is a need to improve the quality of research and medical attitude for the whole society.
From WGH SpainIn collaboration IslobalWe claim the crucial role of women in science and join the struggle for a more fair and egalitarian world. Each step towards incursion is an advance towards a more diverse, enriching and transformative science.
For this and for much more, Today and every day is March 8.
.png/481e49c1-8e55-0a89-1ad3-5e9dfbbaf58c?version=1.0&t=1741189344296&imagePreview=1)
