Why more women in health research matters

Why does it matter who does healthcare research – and who the research is about? The answer is that it affects what questions are asked and which health problems receive attention. In a new research paper, two Danida-funded researchers, Christina Anne Vinter and Ditte Søndergaard Linde together with their colleague Lone Kjeld Petersen show how gender gaps in leadership and research priorities still influence global health.

By Elena Adamo

Ditte Søndergaard Linde is a researcher and associate professor at the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Odense University Hospital. Now on a research stay in Boston, she wears a jumper with a women’s symbol on it – a quiet detail that echoes the topic of our conversation. She explains what motivated her and her colleagues to write their paper, Research in Women which highlights the gender gap in healthcare research.

“I’m motivated because I am a woman in research,” Ditte Søndergaard Linde says. “Even in Denmark, where women and men are equally represented at PhD level, the gap widens as you move up the career ladder. Moving from PhD to postdoc to associate professor is harder for women. This isn’t a random phenomenon – it’s a structural barrier we see everywhere, from Vietnam to Tanzania.”

When Danida Fellowship Centre held the More Women in Research seminar in Vietnam in 2024, Ditte Søndergard Linde took part and the new paper is partly inspired by what she experienced there.

The seminar followed an earlier event in Tanzania where 50 women drafted the More Women in Research Manifesto to address structural barriers and propose concrete actions, and Ditte describes both the manifesto and the seminar in Vietnam as “inspiring, but also frustrating,” because it showed how universal these challenges are.

When Ditte and Christina returned home, they decided – together with their research leader, Professor Lone Kjeld Petersen – to compile their experiences and write an article about gender differences in research, leadership and funding.

When women’s health is overlooked

In the paper, the researchers describe the challenge as twofold. There are fewer women in senior research roles, and many health issues that primarily affect women remain understudied. Ditte explains the link: “What gets researched is influenced by those who do the research. We need more women in research – and more research on women.”

Gestational diabetes, the focus of the Danida-funded VALID II project, is one example. Women-centred health issues have often been overlooked because research traditionally prioritises “hard outcomes,” such as mortality, over quality-of-life, chronic illness or everyday challenges.

In VALID II, which is  a collaboration between Denmark and Vietnam, anthropologists work alongside clinical researchers, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to understand how women and their families manage the condition, and thereby providing a more holistic view of health and care.

Sustaining the momentum

Looking ahead, Ditte is hopeful. Recent global reports – from McKinsey, the Gates Foundation and initiatives in Denmark – signal growing recognition of women’s health as a priority.

“Focusing on women’s health benefits everyone. The challenge now is to sustain this momentum and translate it into structural change, because research should reflect the needs of all.”

Read the published paper (in English): https://ugeskriftet.dk/dmj/research-women-women-research

Read the article on Science Report (in Danish): https://sciencereport.dk/samfund/derfor-er-det-vigtigt-med-kvinder-oeverst-i-fondene/

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