It was only this year that bulletproof vests were introduced for women. And “female” car crash test dummies were created just a year ago. It is no coincidence that women die much more often than men in road accidents.
The fact that the so-called Women's issues exist, revealing a simple truth: we live in a man's world. For centuries, all research and social policy has been conducted primarily with men in mind, and initiatives that include women are “feminocentric.” Since men are seen as the default recipients of all activities, it is difficult to point to any aspect of women's lives that would be designed with them in mind or optimized to meet their needs. However, research that excludes women is not “gender neutral”—it is incomplete.
The consequences of this condition can be fatal. Example: Women are less likely to be injured or killed in a car accident 73 and 17 percent greater than for men. This is due to the fact that Dummies used in crash tests They are modeled on the average human figure. “Female” mannequins were only created last yearBut regulators still don't require their use in vehicle safety research.
Personal protective equipment used by healthcare workers is tailored to men and its proportions are maintained even when women's sizes are reduced. In a survey of UK healthcare workers in 2020 research 44.7% complained about improper arrangement of personal protective equipment. women and only 15.3 percent men. In turn, the last in Canada research More than 80% reported problems related to the use of personal protective equipment. respondents.
The “unisex” bulletproof vests used by police officers were also designed for men. Not only are they uncomfortable for women, but they also offer little protection from attacks, especially in the surrounding area arms and neck. There are currently 50,000 people serving in the British police force. women. However, it was only this year that women's bulletproof vests were introduced.
Women are no longer there Excluded from clinical drug trials, but they still receive disproportionately less attention, especially in the early phases. Therefore, women are still at greater risk of adverse drug effects, especially since recommended doses are not optimized for women. research analysis, When women were given the same dose of the drug as men, it showed that more than 90 percent of women had more serious side effects and more adverse reactions.
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This came into focus when it was discovered that women who took the sleeping pill Ambien experienced serious side effects, such as being more likely to be involved in a car accident the next morning. how They agreed The researchers found that the recommended dose resulted in significantly higher blood concentrations of the drug in women than in men and prolonged the time it took to clear it from the body. The US Food and Drug Administration currently recommends that women take half the “standard” dose.
Worse, there is virtually no funding for research into health problems that primarily affect women. Almost 75 percent of cases of diseases are characteristic of one sex The scales are tipped in favor of men: Funds for “men's diseases” are abundant, while “women's diseases” are underfunded.
In the fight against sexual violence, women's needs must also yield to men's needs. The lion's share of victims of such crimes are women, but the prevention of sexual violence is seen only as a “women's issue” – which does not concern men at all, even though they are Most criminals. Legal and socio-political solutions are focused victim: on improving street lighting, creating helplines, creating “safe spaces”, while ignoring the sources and perpetrators of this violence.
Health data has been collected mainly from men so far, which is a serious threat, because it is on this basis that artificial intelligence is being prepared for use in medicine. For example, when a man reports pain in his left shoulder and back, Medical application With trained data showing that mostly men suffer from circulatory diseases, they refer him to a specialist with suspicion of a heart attack. In the case of a woman, the same app suggests it's depression that doesn't require emergency care — but women also have heart attacks.
Artificial intelligence threatens women slightly differently than men. In 2015, Amazon withdrew its AI tools for employment, because it discriminated against women. The app “learned” to rate applications from male and female candidates based on certain patterns that had emerged in CVs over the past ten years, and because they were mostly men, the computer model rated male applicants significantly higher. This should come as no surprise, given that among AI researchers is Only 12 percent are women, and among programmers – only 6%. A few more companies again uses artificial intelligence to hire Does not monitor software for discrimination.
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There is ample evidence that working towards gender equality makes a significant contribution to economic development. However, analyzes focus only on the macro aspects of this development, ignoring gender in the equation. Ignoring the fact that spending, taxation, and monetary policy have different effects on men and women can lead to erroneous economic assessments that undermine the effectiveness of policy decisions and the accuracy of forecasts.
Macroeconomic policies, for example, do not take into account the work done by women Paid work caring. Cooking, cleaning, carrying water, caring for children and the elderly have significant economic value at the level 10-60 percent of GDP. Because the analyzes do not take gender into account, women are overworked and underpaid. Women's participation is increasing in the labor market It is necessary to implement solutions that will lead to the reduction and redistribution of paid work.
In this context, let's look at the discussion on India's economic future. According to some analysts, this is the country that recently overtook China in terms of population predict that will overtake China also inside economic development. But how? the castle Ashwini Deshpande and Akshi Chawla, this will happen only if population growth translates into employment. Meanwhile, the low participation of women in the labor market in India Limits the effects of the economic boom.
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Gender plays an important role in other socio-political areas, including the greatest challenge of our time: climate change. how other problems to which they must answer Sustainable Development GoalsThe effects of global warming, including climate change-related natural disasters, disproportionately affect humans women.
It is hard to talk about sound research, effective political and social solutions, and human well-being Half of the world's population is ignored. Nothing will change until the inclusion of women becomes the norm in all areas of research, product development, technology and policy.
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Navika Mehta – Economic Editor of the International Economic Association, campaigning for greater gender equality and representation in the economy in the Empowering Women's Voices project as part of the IEA's Women in the Economy initiative.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2023. www.project-syndicate.org. Translated from English by Dorota Blabolil-Obrebska.