Experts Urge Gender-Focused Policies as Drug-Resistant Infections Threaten Women’s Health

By Iyojo Ameh

Public health experts and researchers have called for urgent gender-responsive policies to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that current strategies often overlook the unique health risks and barriers women face in preventing and treating drug-resistant infections.

The experts made the call during the March AMR Dialogue session titled “AMR under the gender lens,” organised by the Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA) ahead of International Women’s Day and other global health observances in March.

They stressed that integrating gender considerations into national AMR strategies is crucial to improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment outcomes for millions of women worldwide.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines designed to treat them. It is regarded as one of the most serious global health threats, with bacterial AMR directly responsible for about 1.27 million deaths globally in 2019 and contributing to nearly 4.95 million deaths.

Gender risks often ignored
Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and former chief scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), Soumya Swaminathan, said women face unique infection risks that are rarely reflected in AMR policies.

According to her, women who experience domestic or sexual violence are more likely to develop infections requiring antibiotic treatment.

“Women are at very high risk of intimate partner violence or domestic violence, physical or sexual, which can lead to infections,” she said.

She also noted that stigma, financial dependence and limited decision-making power often delay women from seeking healthcare, allowing infections to worsen and increasing the likelihood that stronger antibiotics will be required.

Unsafe abortions and limited access to reproductive healthcare, she added, also expose many women to infections that are rarely discussed in AMR strategies.

A drug-resistant tuberculosis survivor and member of the WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors, Bhakti Chavan, said stigma surrounding diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV often discourages women from seeking early treatment.

“In many communities, a woman diagnosed with TB or HIV is judged not just as a patient but as someone who has brought shame to the family,” she said.

Such stigma, she explained, can lead women to delay testing or discontinue treatment, factors that contribute to the emergence of drug-resistant infections.

Social norms shape antibiotic use
Principal Research Scientist at the Indian School of Business, Deepshikha Batheja, said social and gender norms strongly influence healthcare-seeking behaviour and antibiotic use.

She noted that factors such as menstruation stigma, caregiving responsibilities and limited control over household finances can prevent women from accessing timely medical care.

“These norms shape health-seeking behaviour and can lead to delayed diagnosis or inappropriate treatment,” she said.

Research in some settings, she added, shows that women are prescribed significantly more antibiotics than men, highlighting the need to better understand gender patterns in antibiotic use.

Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town, Esmita Charani, said gender dynamics within households and health systems also affect antibiotic stewardship.

She explained that women often prioritise the healthcare needs of other family members over their own.
“In many settings, women visit hospitals mainly as caregivers for relatives rather than for their own health needs,” she said.

She further noted that although women make up a large proportion of the nursing and pharmacy workforce, they frequently have limited influence in clinical decision-making.

Women key to AMR solutions
Despite these challenges, experts believe women can play a vital role in combating antimicrobial resistance.

Founding President of the Pan Arab Women Physicians Association, Maisam Akroush, said women often influence healthcare decisions within households.

“They are mothers, teachers, doctors and pharmacists. They can play a powerful role in promoting responsible antibiotic use,” she said.

Experts therefore recommended that governments incorporate gender analysis into AMR strategies, improve access to reproductive healthcare and integrate programmes addressing gender-based violence into infection prevention and treatment efforts.

Chairperson of the Global AMR Media Alliance, Shobha Shukla, emphasised that tackling antimicrobial resistance requires addressing broader social inequalities.

“We cannot separate the fight against AMR from gender equality and the right to health,” she said.