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A woman's life expectancy
has increased from 48.3 years in 1900 to 79.4 years in 1997.
Today, our challenge is to make those extra years of life
healthy and productive. Women represent 51 percent of the
total U.S. population, 59 percent of the over-65 population,
and 71 percent of Americans older than age 85 - the fastest
growing segment of the population. Women also constitute 46
percent of the Nation's workforce. They make up 52 percent
of the voting-age population, and are more likely to turn
out and vote than men in national elections (55.5 percent
of women vs. 52.8 percent of men voted in 1996).
A woman's health
reflects both her individual biology and her sociocultural,
economic, and physical environments. These factors affect
both the duration and the quality of her life. For example,
the average life expectancy for a woman varies considerably
according to her race: in 1997, the average life expectancy
for white women was 5 years longer than that of African American
women (80 versus 75 years). Women who live in poverty or have
less than a high school education have shorter life spans,
higher rates of illness, injury, disability, and death, and
more limited access to high-quality health care services.
Women have also
historically been the primary health care providers and health
decision-makers for their families. Nearly two-thirds of women
polled in a recent national survey indicated that they alone
were responsible for health care decisions within their family
and 83 percent had sole or shared responsibility for financial
decisions regarding their family's health. Women are also
the primary care givers for ill or disabled family members.
Of the estimated 15 percent of Americans who are informal
caregivers, an estimated 72 percent are women - many of them
sandwiched between caring for an ailing relative and caring
for their own children.
Medical Research
Medical research
until recently has largely ignored many health issues important
to women, and women have long been under-represented in clinical
trials. Research on women’s health in the past has focused
on diseases affecting fertility and reproduction, while many
studies on other diseases have focused on men. For the most
part, women currently receive diagnoses and treatment based
on what has worked for men. However, the efforts of women’s
health advocates and unveiling of inequities in medical research
have led to a broadened research agenda that is beginning
to yield insights into the health-related similarities and
differences between men and women.
To read the rest
of this article from the US Office on Women's Health, click
here http://www.4woman.gov/owh/pub/womhealth%20issues/index.htm
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