In 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended that women should receive a lower dosage of the insomnia drug zolpidem compared to men. This was due to concerns that the drug stayed longer in women’s bodies, posing safety risks.
However, a 2019 study at Tufts University found that the drug’s effects were actually linked more to body size than sex. Researchers concluded that the lower dosage for women could lead to ineffective treatment of insomnia. According to Angela Saini, author of The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, using sex as a proxy for body size is a flawed medical approach due to data collection practices.
Saini argues that many health disparities between men and women stem more from gender biases than biological differences. While there are biological variations in aspects like reproductive health, differences in disease symptoms and drug effectiveness are often marginal and influenced by societal perceptions.
For example, the belief that women experience atypical heart attack symptoms was debunked by a 2019 study at the University of Edinburgh. The research showed that both men and women commonly report chest pain during heart attacks. Despite this, underdiagnosis in women persists due to the misconception that heart attacks primarily affect men.
Saini emphasizes that these disparities aren’t solely due to discrimination but also stem from biases in medical treatment and patient perception. For instance, a Canadian study found that patients fulfilling stereotypical female roles, regardless of their gender, had higher rates of health issues due to increased anxiety.
To address these disparities, Saini advocates for listening to patients and improving care quality, citing the successful efforts of Jennie Joseph in reducing maternal mortality rates among minority women through attentive maternal care.
