The Gender health paradox in European countries after the COVID-19 breakdown

Introduction There are well-established facts regarding the gender health gap. While women tend to live longer than men, they often experience poorer health conditions, even when controlling for age and other socio-economic factors. This counterintuitive relationship between longevity and psycho-physical vulnerability is known as the ‘gender health paradox’, prevalent not only in Europe. Bambra and colleagues (2021) have argued that the COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated this paradox, citing two main causes: higher mortality rates for men due to COVID-19, but a greater likelihood for women being diagnosed with the virus, implying a potential worsening of their health. Methods Utilizing Eurostat statistics on mortality and individual data from the European Social Survey (ESS) collected between 2018 and 2021, this study conducts an analysis of gender-based health inequalities. Data from both pre and post-pandemic periods are available for 17 European countries, allowing for an assessment of changes in gender health inequalities using multivariate regression analysis and indicators such as perceived health and health problems. Results Results indicate a slight increase in the gender difference in life expectancy, favouring women by 0.143 years. Simultaneously, both poor perceived health and health problems (resulting in difficulties in daily activities) have slightly increased for highly educated women in the COVID-19 era compared to their male counterparts in the pre-COVID-19 period. However, the variation among countries warrants further investigation. Conclusions These findings support Bambra and colleagues' concerns regarding a potential exacerbation of the ‘gender health paradox’ after COVID-19, with the resulting socio-health implications.