Sub-goal 5: Equal health

Women and men, girls and boys should have equal opportunities for good health and be offered care and support on equal terms.

Gender-equal health is a comprehensive goal that encompasses physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. The goal also includes preventive public health efforts, interventions for individuals within social services, support and services for people with disabilities, as well as healthcare and publicly-funded care.

The sub-goal of gender-equal health is closely related to other gender equality policy goals. Gender-equal health is both a prerequisite for and an outcome of equality in other areas. Economy, education, unpaid household and care work, as well as exposure to violence, are all factors that influence physical and mental health. Conversely, good health is a prerequisite for being able to educate oneself, financially support oneself, and contribute to unpaid household and care work.

Women report health problems more frequently than men

This includes mental health issues, which are increasing, most notably among girls and younger women. The connection between health and gender is clear, but factors such as age, disability, country of birth, income, and education also influence the health of women and men.

Women live longer but rate their health as poorer and have more years with reduced activity capacity compared to men. Men have a shorter life expectancy but rate their health as better and have fewer years with reduced activity capacity.

Despite life expectancy in Sweden continuing to increase for both women and men, there are groups that are not keeping up with this progress. Among low-educated women, life expectancy has not increased at the same rate as for others over the past 25 years. Therefore, raising the retirement age may negatively affect older low-educated women.

Women seek medical care more often than men

Women consume 20 percent more healthcare services than men, with a significant portion of this difference attributed to maternity and childbirth care. However, when reproductive and gender-specific care are excluded, the difference decreases to eight percent, explained by women seeking more care for mental health issues and musculoskeletal problems. Women more often seek care at primary care centers, while men have more hospital admissions, especially in older age groups.

Men are generally less accustomed to seeking medical care, take more risks, and have poorer lifestyle habits than women, which are considered explanatory factors behind men being more prone to accidents and dying earlier from several major diseases.

Gender norms play a role in health but can also influence the diagnosis and treatment women and men receive. Men less frequently seek care for mental health issues and undergo more physical examinations than women, whose health problems may be at risk of being perceived as psychosomatic.

Women and men experience impaired mental health, anxiety, and stress in different ways

Girls and women experience reduced mental health, anxiety, and stress to a greater extent than men and are diagnosed more often with anxiety and depression. Women are also overrepresented in sick leave due to mental health issues.

The reasons for stress-related sick leave in female-dominated industries are well documented and often stem from low control over the work situation combined with high job demands. Women also perform more unpaid household and caregiving work, leading to increased stress.

Despite women being diagnosed with mental health issues more frequently than men, significantly more men than women commit suicide. This suggests an underdiagnosis of mental health issues in men.