Jacqui McCallum: A Call to Action from the WSO 2025 Scientific Statement on Sex and Gender Differences in Stroke
Jacqui McCallum, Executive Director, Brand, Communications and Advocacy at the Stroke Foundation, shared on LinkedIn:
”Stroke is one of the biggest killers of Australian women. Yet it rarely features in conversations about women’s health.
Each year in Australia, more than 24,800 women experienced a stroke.
Today, almost 196,000 women are living with its long-term impacts.
And the inequities are real.
Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed later, delaying time-critical treatment.
They are under-represented in clinical trials, meaning evidence doesn’t always reflect women’s experience or needs.
And after stroke, women are more likely to experience poorer recovery, reduced independence and lower quality of life.
Some of this is driven by biology. Women face sex-specific risk factors linked to pregnancy, hormonal changes and menopause.
But many of the inequities are systemic.
For First Nations women, the inequities are even more pronounced.
The World Stroke Organization’s 2025 Scientific Statement calls for urgent action to address sex and gender differences in stroke risk, care and outcomes.
That means:
- Better recognition of women-specific stroke risk factors
- Gender-responsive prevention and treatment pathways
- Greater awareness among both the community and health professionals
- Stronger representation of women in stroke research
Stroke doesn’t treat men and women equally, and that difference could cost women their lives.
If we are serious about improving women’s health in Australia, stroke must be part of the national conversation and policy agenda.”
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