While women face multiple disadvantages in many areas of social and professional life, they still enjoy a higher life expectancy than men. However, even in healthcare, women face their own unique obstacles.

To overcome these structural inequalities, an ecosystem of specialised startups of health solutions for women – FemTech – is emerging. According to Alexandre Azoulay, founder of SGH Capital, "FemTech can help to overcome gender inequalities in access to healthcare".

Female-specific risks remain unaddressed

The structural inequalities between women and men are well documented, thanks to the contribution of a rich scientific literature. For example, according to data collected by France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), women still manage 71% of household tasks and 65% of parental tasks, not to mention the fact that they receive a net salary income 28.5% lower than men.

This is a body of knowledge that makes it possible to raise awareness of gender inequalities among decision-makers and, in the best-case scenario, to guide public policies in favour of greater equity. In scientific research, on the other hand, knowledge of the specific needs of women is still limited by inertia among the medical community as well as the lower representation of women in clinical trials.

In short, scientific research has not yet adopted a gender-specific approach. This is particularly true of clinical trials, which are an essential link in the creation of a consensus around the dissemination of therapeutic standards adapted to diseases. For example, an editorial published in the prestigious journal Nature states that "one third of those taking part in clinical trials on cardiovascular disease are women", meaning that the effects of certain diseases and their medication on women remain unexplored.

As a result, women are 50% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed after a heart attack and less likely to be prescribed medication to prevent another one, found a study by the British Heart Foundation. Inequalities are also apparent in type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and a range of heart conditions that affect women and men differently.

"Women need dedicated research simply because they are different from men," says Marie Bogataj, director of the AXA Research Fund, and author of an opinion piece on the subject published on 25 March 2019.

Health inequality in the workplace

In the world of work, women's health also seems to be increasingly neglected. Florence Chappert from the National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions (ANACT) in France, says that accidents at work increased by 30% among women between 2001 and 2016, while they decreased by 29% among men. At the psychological level, "the prevalence of work-related psychological suffering was twice as high for women as for men, regardless of the year", with a continuous increase over the period 2007 - 2012.

Women are also "1.5 to 2 times more likely to experience a depressive disorder", according to the findings of a study commissioned by the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health (DREES) published in March 2013. Women are more frequently subject to professional and sexual harassment, while suffering from less recognition at work, making them much more vulnerable to psychosocial conditions.

Here again, a differentiated approach is needed: "Most of the time, it would be justified for prevention programmes to include a specific component for women. It would then be possible to discuss adapting working conditions and working hours," says William Dab, epidemiologist and Professor of Health and Safety at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in France.

FemTech to the rescue

Part of the answer may well lie in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of FemTech. "These technologies, products and services counterbalance a past in which women were not accepted in clinical trials, which often made drugs and solutions unsuitable for them," says Shiraz Mahfoudhi, VC at SpeedInvest and coordinator of the Inclusion & Diversity programme at Sista.

It is in this fast-growing sector, driven by the world of start-ups, that an ecosystem of specialised companies is beginning to emerge.

Doctoconsult, a startup specialising in telemedicine, was co-founded by Dr. Fanny Jacq, a psychiatrist specialising in maternity-related issues, is one of France's great success stories.

The first online psychiatric video-consultation platform, covered by the social security system, it offers an alternative to face-to-face consultations, while maintaining therapeutic follow-up. But here again, the United States is ahead of the old continent, which is still marked by entrepreneurial rigidity.

"This is not unique to FemTech. America has a head start in most tech industries. In healthcare, their more liberal system also allows for more innovation in their private clinics than in our public institutions," explains Marine Wetzel to, tech and start-up magazine Maddyness.

In the United States, it is the Maven Clinic that has positioned itself very quickly on this market, becoming today the leader in health solutions for women.

Recently, the company raised $110 million and has a valuation of €1 billion – still a unique achievement for a FemTech start-up. A success story that’s partially French, given that the France-based investment fund SGH Capital invested in the Maven Clinic in 2016.

"The FemTech ecosystem is also becoming more structured thanks to the rise of women in the tech world. They remain the most capable of providing products adapted to the specific needs of women," explains Alexandre Azoulay, founder of SGH Capital. Sometimes startups specialise in a specific pathology.

Like Lucine, created by Maryne Cotty-Eslous and focused on endometriosis, whose application uses voice and postural recognition to measure the pain of women suffering from it. Or Olivia, a start-up aimed at supporting during the menopause. A very important mobilisation which, however, remains only a palliative.

"The development of FemTech is obviously positive. But it is not intended to replace real public policies to reduce gender inequalities, particularly in access to women's health," concludes Alexandre Azoulay.