“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” – Gloria Steinem.
The United Nations has declared the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day as “Accelerate Action”, calling for swift action to achieve gender equality. This message rings the alarm on the slow progress being made toward this goal, as at the current rate, it will take until 2158—or approximately five generations—to reach gender parity.
The healthcare gender gap looms large. While women on average enjoy a longer life—with an additional 7 years of life expectancy compared to men—they disproportionately spend their last decade with disease, disability, and dementia, accounting for over 75% of all cases. The female longevity advantage is lost due to the time women spend in poor physical and cognitive health. This means that female lifespan advantages are not currently matched by a longer healthspan.
The concept of FemSpan, coined by Dr. Pearlman, aims to apply a female-centric approach to healthy aging and disease management to ensure that women are maximally able to benefit from their female longevity advantage with healthy aging.