Gender Bias in Research Leaves Women Facing Unstudied Risks, Missing Out on Medical Advances
Madrid – New regulations in Spain mandate the inclusion of a gender viewpoint in research, yet systemic gaps in oversight and a past lack of female participation in studies continue to leave women vulnerable to unstudied risks and excluded from the full benefits of medical advancements. Despite legal frameworks like the 2007 Equality Law – which amended the General Health Law to allow for gender analysis and sex-disaggregated data – and the recent Royal Decree 669/2023 establishing Gender Equality Distinction in R&D&I, implementation remains insufficient, raising critical bioethical concerns.
These legal changes aim to address a long-standing disparity: women often respond differently to treatments and experience adverse effects at varying rates compared to men. Identifying these differences requires robust data, yet studies reveal a meaningful deficiency in the systematic inclusion of women in clinical trials and a lack of gender expertise within the very bodies tasked with ensuring ethical research practices. As the late Professor Pérez Serrano stated, “there is no right without guarantees,” highlighting the need for effective institutional mechanisms and supervision to translate legal mandates into tangible results.
European studies have demonstrated that research ethics committees – the primary bodies responsible for evaluating the incorporation of gender perspectives - routinely fail to include experts in gender-related issues. This structural flaw undermines the principle of justice, a cornerstone of bioethics, which demands an equitable distribution of research benefits and risks. The exclusion of women means they disproportionately bear the burden of unknown risks and receive fewer benefits from medical progress.
The issue extends beyond technical shortcomings, impacting the core promise of personalized medicine. Achieving truly rigorous and ethical scientific advancement requires the full inclusion of women in research, not merely as a matter of historical redress, but as a fundamental necessity for ensuring equality in healthcare outcomes. Without it, the future of science risks remaining an unfulfilled promise for half the population.
