Women’s Health: Living Longer, But Sicker Than Men

Women experience more years of poor health than men, even though they tend to live longer, according to recent findings. This disparity highlights a critical gap in healthcare that warrants increased attention and investment, as chronic conditions disproportionately affect women’s quality of life.

Conditions that persist for years without being fatal often receive less medical focus, explains Silvan Licher, a clinical epidemiologist at Erasmus MC and a general practitioner in training. “These are conditions that women are more likely to experience than men.”

The difference in lifespan plays a role, with men, particularly those with lower levels of education, generally dying younger. “They more often work in physically demanding jobs and generally have less healthy lifestyles,” notes Petra Verdonk, a psychologist and co-founder of the Dutch Association for Gender, and Health.

As women live longer, they also experience more years living with chronic illnesses like pelvic floor disorders and rheumatoid arthritis, Verdonk observes. “That’s why attention to women’s health is so important: women often age although sick.”

Data from the Netherlands Institute for Health and the Environment’s 2025 Health Survey confirms that women are more likely than men to rate their health as poor. Verdonk emphasizes that this pattern has been consistent for decades, stating, “It’s terrible that it takes so long for things to change.”

Women also seek medical care more frequently than men, the CBS research shows. Licher clarifies, “They travel to the doctor with serious complaints and not just to complain, as is sometimes claimed. Nobody goes to the doctor for fun.”

Health differences between men and women become more apparent after age 25. “Possibly due to chronic conditions that begin around this age,” Verdonk says, adding that this also coincides with the period when women often start families.

‘Anxious and Depressed’

Women experience anxiety and depression at higher rates than men. These mental health challenges contribute significantly to healthcare costs and lost productivity, Licher explains. “This represents partly due to anxiety, depression, but also more severe psychiatric conditions.”

Licher notes that women often present with combinations of illnesses that don’t easily fit within the traditional healthcare system, falling outside the scope of a single specialist. “For example, someone with heart failure and depression.”

“From puberty onwards, girls are more often anxious and depressed,” Verdonk states. “We still know very little about the role of the hormone cycle in women’s mental health. At the same time, I suppose we overlook depression in men more often.”

“We can certainly talk more about anxiety in men,” Licher adds. “Just as more attention is being paid to the female heart in the context of heart complaints.”

Licher is observing a growing trend of patients being treated by teams of different specialists. “Considering how long we’ve worked with a care model focused on a single disease, the speed at which we’re developing new approaches gives me reason to be optimistic.”

Verdonk points to various studies demonstrating that addressing the health gap could generate significant cost savings. A National Strategy for Women’s Health was presented in July 2025. “I hope the new state secretary will also work with it. We need to choose now: where will we have the fastest effect? And then just implement it.”

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