Discrimination is a societal problem that women can’t escape, especially in the healthcare system. The consequences are dangerous – even deadly.
In a new report from Forbes, medical experts point to the intersection of ageism and sexism as a combined systemic problem that’s creating additional burdens for older women and their caregivers.
For starters, age-related bias is a problem for all patients. One study cited in the report, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, found that about 20% of people in the U.S. ages 50 and over experienced discrimination from their healthcare providers, regardless of gender. That lack of care comes with a literal cost — the eight most expensive medical conditions in the U.S., due to the expenditures required to treat them, cost our healthcare system $63 billion annually as age bias and negative stereotypes result in delayed treatment, worsening ailments before they’re addressed.
This dismissal of symptoms can have life-or-death consequences for women, especially – studies show they’re up to twice as likely to not be taken seriously by medical practitioners. Just ask Kristen Helton, CEO of Herself Health, a primary care practice for women ages 65 and older. The women Helton has spoken with through her work said they don’t feel listened to or heard by doctors – and are often even dismissed outright. “Older women feel invisible,” Helton told Forbes.
This phenomenon can also impact caregivers, most of whom are women as well, Forbes revealed. They spend about 153 more hours per year performing volunteer caregiving duties, compared to men, which equates to more than $625 billion annually in unpaid labor, per the National Partnership for Women and Families.
Malini Moraghan, founder of private Chicago equity firm Torana Group, knows this firsthand. She, too, has seen the ways in which providers dismiss older women’s symptoms – through painful personal experience. Her mother suffered a heart attack in 2021, and subsequently died in 2023. Along the way, she experienced symptoms that were ignored and, as such, not treated. Moraghan also saw how women caregivers are impacted by this neglect, as she then had to manage her mother’s mounting medical expenses – bills that continued to pour in six months after her death, she told Forbes.
The U.S. senior population is projected to increase to 95 million people in 2060, according to the National Council on Aging. Medical leaders say that caring for these aging individuals will be crucial, and that combating issues that presently inhibit proper care starts with collaboration between governments, medical-industry startups and healthcare systems.
This, experts add, is crucial in helping to improve the quality of life for women who need – and provide – care. An increase in women medical care providers could also help, as research shows that senior women being treated by female doctors could save 5,000 lives per year.
Either way, change is needed – because at present, Helton notes, “across the board, every single woman [I’ve spoken with] said, ‘I don’t feel listened to, I don’t feel heard.’”
