Talk of health care disparities has become more common. Consumers want answers about the factors contributing to these disparities and how to overcome them. A new study from PYMNTS Intelligence examines whether family responsibilities and financial constraints drive gender disparities in health outcomes.
There are clear differences in the extent to which women seek health care, depending on their life stage, priorities, household responsibilities, and financial resources. Women with children face additional obstacles compared to men and women without children, which ultimately affects their health outcomes. As measured by the Wellness Index, mothers in nuclear families have 10% worse health than the average woman, and single mothers have 15% worse health.
These are just some of the findings detailed in .2024 Women's Wellness Index,” PYMNTS Intelligence and care credit collaboration. This comprehensive report delves into women's health and well-being outcomes across generations and life stages, surveying 10,045 U.S. consumers conducted from November 10, 2023 to December 6, 2023. It leverages insights from the Census Balanced Survey.
Other key findings include:
Mothers are not very proactive about their health.
Preventive health care is essential to promoting long-term health. Ignoring it has health and financial consequences. As measured by the Health Index, women who follow their preventive check-up schedule very well or very well have 12% better health outcomes than the average woman. On the other hand, women who said they didn't follow their check-up schedule regularly had 14% lower health status.
Gender expectations contribute to barriers to women's health outcomes.
Household structure affects women's health. When there are other people in the family, many women shift their health concerns outside of themselves, and differences among Millennial women illustrate this fact. Compared to millennial women who are single and childless, women who live with a partner but don't have children have health scores that are 11% lower than theirs. Women who live with their partners and have children score 24% lower than their girlfriends. A single mother shows her 33% lower score.
Women spend less on health care than men, but more than others.
A quarter of women believe financial constraints are a challenge to managing their personal health and wellbeing. However, spending more has a larger positive impact on women than on men. For every additional $500 spent, a woman's index score increases by 3.15, while a man's score increases by 2.95.
Despite progress toward equality in the modern world, women still experience significant inequalities in health care resources and expectations. By supporting these women with better resources, support, distribution of responsibilities, and economic options, we can help build a better society. Please download “”2024 Women's Wellness Index” to learn more about prioritizing and caring for women's health and well-being.
