Why do women neglect their health? – Health

In 2021, the organization AXA Prévention

• carried out a major survey of 1,300 women to ask them about their health and the relationship they have with it. If in general, women take more care of their health than men, it’s a fact: they don’t take care of themselves as much as they should…

1 Gender inequality in numbers

• Women have a much more restrictive definition of health than the WHO: for 70% of them, being in good health comes down to not being sick or not being hindered in the acts of daily life (compared to 62 % for men). The notions of social well-being and mental well-being do not appear in their definition of health. In addition, 77% of them take a long time to consult when a health problem arises, only making an appointment when they are hampered in their daily lives. Less than 40% of them have regular health check-ups and only consult when they have to.

2 Alarming signs often overlooked

• This tendency to put off seeing a doctor can be very serious. Indeed, if the symptoms of a heart attack occurring in a man are well known in the population, the survey reveals that only two women out of ten know the signs of a female heart attack. This ignorance probably partly explains the late medical treatment and consequently the fact that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for women, ahead of the various types of cancer. The majority of them do not consider stress, being overweight, the appearance of a feeling of oppression or the fact of being regularly tired as symptoms prompting them to consult their doctor. These are precisely the factors that increase the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease.

3 Looking after others instead of yourself

This forgetfulness of oneself and one’s health is in fact explained by the role that society has assigned to women: still according to this study, 81% of respondents indicate that they are more concerned about the health of their loved ones than about theirs (children, parents, etc.). Moreover, more than half of them deal almost exclusively with the health of their children, whereas only 5% of men do so. The occupation rate of women is also pointed out: between their professional activity, their family life and management within the home, their time is limited, and their health is, wrongly, no longer a priority. * Made for the association Axa Prevention

-(from March 23 to April 12, 2021, with 1,324 women and 1,181 men)