hHow do you feel? If you're a woman from the UK, there's a reasonable chance that your honest answer will be something like: “Actually, it's not that good.” According to the Hologic Global Women's Health Index, an annual survey exploring female wellbeing around the world, women in the UK are sadder and more stressed than their EU counterparts. Sigh.
The statistics make for pretty depressing reading, but they may not be as surprising to women (they may even coincide with your own anecdotal experience). 32 percent of British participants in the survey revealed that they had felt sad the previous day, compared to 21 percent three years earlier; Only 26 percent of EU women surveyed reported the same feelings in the recent study. 39 per cent of UK women had experienced stress in the previous day, while the European average was 34 per cent.
What's even more worrying is that levels of worry, stress, anger and sadness among British women have increased since the study was launched in 2020, but have decreased in the rest of Europe. In short, we continue our own downward spiral while things seemingly improve elsewhere. Overall, the UK ended up ranking 22nd out of 31 European countries when it comes to women's emotional well-being, surpassed by countries such as Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Germany and (perhaps not surprisingly, given how often who obtain high scores on several quality of life tables). ) the Scandinavian nations.
All this paints a worrying picture; So why might British women feel so desperate? Let me count the shapes. The cost of living crisis disproportionately affects women, who tend to earn less and face greater job insecurity. In many ways, the problems appear to have been more pronounced here than in Europe. The inflation rate rose more, as did energy prices, which also took longer to fall than on the continent. Previous research by the charity Mind found that 74 per cent of women in England and Wales feel their mental health has been negatively affected by the rising cost of living.
Meanwhile, Hologic, the company behind the survey, has suggested that the UK's relative stagnation when it comes to improvements in women's healthcare is a driving factor, with our country “being overtaken by others[s]”. Senior NHS consultant Geeta Nargund, medical director of abc ivf, appears to agree. “That British women feel sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts is sadly not a surprise in the context of a country with the largest gender health gap in the G20 and the 12th largest globally,” she says.
If we dig deeper into the statistics, the magnitude of this inequality is quite staggering. In 2017, Public Health England found that women can expect to spend a quarter of their lives in poor health, compared to a fifth of men. Nargund notes that women with a complete coronary artery blockage are 59 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed than men, and that it often takes eight years for women to be diagnosed with endometriosis, which can cause severe pain. and fertility difficulties. And that only takes into account the women who continue to press for a proper verdict from doctors: many give up or postpone the appointment because they fear that their symptoms will not be taken seriously.
And once you have your diagnosis? Increased pressure on the NHS means there are long waiting times for women's health treatments, explains Dr Claire Merrifield, GP and medical director at health testing company Selph. “In 2022, the average waiting time for gynecological services in hospitals doubled from 6.9 to 13.7 weeks, and more than 300,000 women waited more than a year to see a gynecologist, compared to just under less than 1,000 in 2019,” he says. “With this pressure on specialist services, there is little provision of medical support around fertility and perimenopause, which can be major causes of stress and affect wellbeing.”
Men have typically been treated as the default patient when it comes to healthcare and research; Less than 2.5 per cent of publicly funded research in the UK explores reproductive health, despite the fact that one in three women can expect to deal with a gynecological problem in her lifetime. The result is that women find themselves navigating a system that was never created to work for them. This can be a deeply frustrating experience, but isn't it the same everywhere in the world?
Not quite. Other countries are taking steps to close the gap, says Nargund, citing the example of Spain, which has become “the first European country to grant menstrual rights in the workplace, allowing anyone with disabling periods [to take] time off from work, fully paid and financed by the welfare system.” Denmark, for its part, offers “a full range of reproductive health treatments within its health system, including infertility treatments,” adds Dr. Merrifield (the cost of three IVF cycles for the first child, for example, is covered). Compared to other countries, she notes, the UK tends to “have a reactive mindset when it comes to women's health”: we tend to “only seek support when there is a problem”, rather than being screened for future problems. . “Many other countries take a more proactive approach with routine checks that provide the opportunity for education, early support and preventative screenings.”
Our work culture means we may work longer hours or have less work-life balance than our continental counterparts.
Georgina Sturmer, counselor
There are also other factors at play beyond the healthcare system. “In the UK, while women arguably have more opportunities than ever, there are huge pressures on our backs,” says Georgina Sturmer, a BACP-accredited counsellor. “Our work culture means we may work longer hours or have less work-life balance than our continental counterparts,” he adds (think Scandinavian countries where work tends to end at 5pm sharp, or even in French countries, much more parodied insistence on disconnecting during the long summer holidays).
The impact of this is keenly felt by women, as they often carry the additional burden of childcare, housework, and other caregiving responsibilities (such as caring for elderly parents). The UK's childcare system is one of the most expensive in the world, and the high cost means some new parents are unable to return to work. Of course, it's usually women who put their careers on hold to care for their children (which works for some mothers, but can be frustrating for others). Countries like Denmark have a more balanced parental leave policy, which does not assume that one parent will take on the majority of care from the start.
So what can be done to improve this frankly terrible situation? Investing more in women's health care and preventive testing could help, Dr. Merrifield suggests, as it would better support during perimenopause (this “can improve mood and reduce the risk of developing health problems such as anxiety and metabolic syndrome,” he says). More affordable childcare and shared parental leave would also be positive steps. But you'd be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu when hearing those possible solutions: activists have been banging the drum on these issues for years, but progress just doesn't seem to be happening. Perhaps the study serves as a wake-up call: Either way, a flight to Denmark is looking increasingly attractive.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; You can speak to someone for free by phone, confidentially, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected] or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you reside in the US and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free and confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
