Woman of the North: Inequality, health and work (3 September 2024)

Summary

Women in the North of England face unequal challenges and inequalities in their lives and health compared to those in the rest of the country according to a report from Health Equity North. They are more likely to work more hours for less pay and to be in worse health. On top of this, they are more likely to be an unpaid carer, live in poverty and to have fewer qualifications. The inequity between women living in the North of England and those in the rest of the country has grown over the past decade harming women’s quality of life, work, their families and communities.

Content

Key findings:

• Girls born in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber in 2018-2020 can only expect to live in good health to 59.7, 62.4 and 62.1 years, respectively. This is up to four years less than the national average and up to six years less than girls born in the South East.
• Lower levels of HRT prescribing in the North suggest some women may not be receiving adequate treatment for menopause symptoms, a concern as these affect employment, wellbeing and health.
• Cuts to public health budgets have disproportionately affected the Midlands and North of England, with the North enduring per-person cuts 15% higher than the average for England, and the worst affected area in the country being the North East, with a cut of £23.24 per person.
•  Outside London, the three northern regions had the highest rates of new diagnoses of STIs and Gonorrhoea among people accessing sexual health services in 2022. The exception is Chlamydia in under 25s.
• The proportion of women with a diagnosis of mental illness who were receiving a treatment for their mental illness was lower in the North West and North East than in the South and Yorkshire and the Humber, likely indicating a treatment gap between regions
• For severe mental illness, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia the North West and North East have higher prevalence rates compared to the South and Yorkshire and Humber; eating disorders are the only low prevalence mental illness occurring in a higher proportion of women in the South.