Closing the gender health gap with evidence and empathy

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women’s voices. At Reckitt, we back those voices with science. For too long, women’s health has been overlooked, under-researched and under-discussed.

From the Gender Pain Gap to the taboos of intimate wellness, we are using science to ensure that a woman’s health journey is defined by data and empathy, not silence and dismissal.

Addressing the Gender Pain Gap
Health equity is not a niche issue. It is central to a woman’s confidence, her career and her life at every age. However, a ‘male-as-default' history in medical research has created a world where women’s needs are often ignored. Historically, medical textbooks have used the biological male as the universal reference.

This systemic bias led to staggering knowledge gaps. The first full anatomical study of the clitoris wasn't published until 1998. More recently, in 2022, we discovered that the clitoris contains 10,000 nerve endings – far more than the 8,000 previously cited in textbooks based on animal models.

Such gaps have contributed to the gender pain gap: a phenomenon in which pain in women is more poorly understood and more mistreated compared to pain in men.

One in six women live with severe pain every day.¹ Nurofen’s Gender Pain Gap Index Report also found women wait significantly longer for pain diagnoses than men. This gap starts early. “30 to 40% of adolescents miss school because of period pain,” says Lynsey Peers, R&D Director at Reckitt.

These aren't just medical statistics; they are barriers to a fairer society.

Breaking the silence with science
If pain is often dismissed, intimate wellness is often whispered. Despite being central to a woman’s quality of life, topics like vaginal dryness and sexual pleasure remain shrouded in taboo. Vaginal dryness affects one in six women between the ages of 18 and 50,² yet many suffer in silence, believing it to be an untreatable part of aging or hormone changes.

The effects go beyond physical discomfort – leading to painful intercourse, decreased sexual desire and even strain on relationships. Emotionally, it can cause anxiety, shame and a feeling of isolation.²

Reckitt’s intimate wellness teams, led by brands like K-Y and Durex, are bringing these conversations into the light through rigorous clinical research. By prioritising sexual health wellness, we embrace the whole person, ensuring that satisfaction and pleasure are treated as essential components of health rather than afterthoughts.

Innovation as a tool for empowerment
More must be done to break these barriers to encourage open conversation and address the gender health gap. We’re committed to advancing knowledge in this area so we can tackle the taboos that affect millions of women suffering in silence.

Our medical and R&D teams are dismantling these biases by:

• Validating the invisible: Through the Nurofen Gender Pain Gap Index, we provide the data needed to help women advocate for themselves in medical settings. Tools like the Pain Pass help bridge the communication gap between women and healthcare professionals.
• Pioneering intimate research: We are generating robust clinical evidence where industry standards previously didn’t exist – such as our award-winning research into how lubrication improves not just comfort, but quality of life and sexual satisfaction.³
• Setting new standards in a complex landscape: We navigate a complex landscape where lubricants are regulated as strictly as high-risk medical devices, like ventilators, yet lack clear industry benchmarks. Our teams have set the standard by defining our own objective endpoints to prove safety and efficacy. This includes pioneering the ‘formulation balance’ – creating products that match the body’s natural pH and osmolality without compromising performance.

This International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our commitment to closing the gender health gap. We will continue to empower, educate and break down barriers to ensure a future of health that is truly of women, by women and for women.

Discover more from our Medical and Science team as they unpack the realities of women’s pain and what we can do to combat the gender health gap: https://www.reckitt.com/our-stories/2024/intimate-wellness-the-science-inside/ 

References

1. GPG Index Survey References Document (26.08.2022 16.00GMT)
2. 25-WHC-FACTSHEET-VaginalDryness-OCT2023-B.pdf (womens-health-concern.org)
3. Palacios S, Hood S, Abakah-Phillips T, Savania N, Krychman M. A randomized trial on the effectiveness and safety of 5 water-based personal lubricants. J Sex Med. 2023 Mar 31;20(4):498-506. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdad005. PMID: 36781402.