Changes from plenary report to adopted text

Change 1

ChangedC. whereas poverty and social exclusion have a significant impact on health outcomes and access to healthcare; whereas women face greater financial barriers than men in accessing health services; whereas these barriers are further exacerbated for vulnerable groups, who often face additional layers of discrimination and encounter multiple barriers to accessing inclusive, culturally sensitive and quality healthcare;

Change 2

ChangedT. whereas gender inequalities, including the unequal allocation of informal and unpaid care responsibilities and disproportionate exposure to gender-based violence, the burden of chronic pain and gender-specific conditions, as well as socio-economic status, contribute to higher rates of anxiety, depression and stress-related conditions among women; whereas girls and women are exposed from an early age to persistent social, cultural and commercial pressures related to beauty standards, which promote unrealistic body ideals and disproportionately affect their self-esteem, mental health and well-being; whereas eating disorders are among the most enfeebling psychiatric conditions that affect young women, with at least one person dying as a direct result of an eating disorder every 62 minutes; whereas premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects at least 1.61,6 % of women;

Change 3

ChangedY. whereas cancer is the second-greatest cause of death in the EU and has a higher mortality rate among men than women; whereas approximately 12 million European women are living with cancer, and more than 1.21,2 million women are diagnosed with cancer in the EU every year, with nearly 600 000 losing their lives; whereas the 2022 EU target to offer cancer screenings to at least 90 % of those eligible by 2025 has not been met universally across the EU;

Change 4

ChangedAE. whereas menstrual poverty – to be understood as insufficient access to menstrual hygiene products and facilities – affects an estimated 10 % of the menstruating population,women, particularly women with low incomes, refugees, young peoplegirls and women with disabilities;

Change 5

ChangedAH. whereas 85 % of women experience menopause symptoms; whereas by 2030, an estimated 1.21,2 billion women globally will be experiencing menopause; whereas reproductive and hormonal shifts such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause have a profound impact on women’s physical, mental and social well-being throughout their lives; whereas menopause and perimenopause remain insufficiently recognised as major health and social issues, with associated symptoms widely disregarded, leading to unequal access to specialist and evidence-based care, unequal availability of hormone therapies and inadequate workplace accommodations; whereas the lack of adequate menopause care contributes to stigma, discrimination at work and a deterioration in quality of life, with direct consequences for economic independence and social participation;

Change 6

ChangedAK. whereas metabolic diseases such as diabetes are diagnosed about 4.54,5 years later in women than in men and woman experience significantly worse long-term health outcomes than men, including a 30 % higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease; whereas women with type 1 diabetes are four times more likely to develop pre-eclampsia and women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a high probability of developing type 2 diabetes within five years of giving birth; whereas children born to mothers with GDM are up to six times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity than those born to mothers without GDM;

Change 7

Removed1. Stresses that gender inequalities in health are multifaceted and a violation of fundamental rights, with systemic inequalities resulting from decades of medical research based on and designed around the male anatomy, which in turn has shaped the entire cycle of care from diagnostics to treatment; underlines that the recognition of this imbalance presents an opportunity to redesign research frameworks, clinical guidelines and care delivery; highlights that these inequalities affect both life-threatening and non-fatal chronic conditions, and have a substantial impact on the physical, mental and social well-being of women and gender-diverse people in particular; underlines that gender equality in health policy is a prerequisite for equal opportunities, economic participation and social cohesion, and should be pursued in a way that empowers women while preserving individual responsibility and freedom of choice;

Added1. Underlines that health policy, medical research and clinical practice must be grounded in robust scientific evidence, objective biological facts concerning women and men, and the highest standards of medical expertise;

Added2. Stresses that gender inequalities in health are multifaceted and a violation of fundamental rights, with inequalities resulting from decades of medical research based on and designed around the male anatomy, which in turn has shaped the entire cycle of care from diagnostics to treatment; underlines that the recognition of this imbalance presents an opportunity to redesign research frameworks, clinical guidelines and care delivery; highlights that these inequalities affect both life-threatening and non-fatal chronic conditions, and have a substantial impact on the physical, mental and social well-being of women and gender-diverse people in particular; underlines that gender equality in health policy is a prerequisite for equal opportunities, economic participation and social cohesion, and should be pursued in a way that empowers women while preserving individual responsibility and freedom of choice;

Change 8

Changed6.7. Calls on policymakers and healthcare professionals to take a holistic, rights-based and intersectional approach to addressingaddress inequalities, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, and to correct discrepancies with binding, measurable targets and accountability as innovative new treatments and procedures are developed; calls for the incorporation of a sex- and gender-informed perspective in all EU health legislation and initiatives; emphasises the importance of science-based, efficient and innovation-friendly health policies that take into account biological and social differences between women and men and that address the disparities therein; reiterates that research and innovation models in the health sector should drive developments that are in the interest of citizens;