Subtle sexism — everyday experiences of bias, microaggressions and structural inequality — can be deeply frustrating. Until recently, much of the conversation about its impact focused on feelings, careers and social outcomes. But emerging research suggests these experiences may also leave measurable marks on the brain and mental health through the well-established effects of chronic stress. Here’s what the evidence says — and what it doesn’t — about how gender-based stress ca

Dr Hadiyah-Nicole Green, an American medical physicist, is steadily advancing research on a novel cancer treatment that uses laser-activated nanoparticles — a therapy that has eradicated tumours in early animal studies and is now being prepared for eventual human trials, her supporters say. Dr Green, one of the few Black women in the United States ever to earn a PhD in physics, has spent more than a decade developing a technology known broadly as Laser-Activated NanoTherapy (

Scientists in the United States continue to make progress on an experimental artificial womb system known as EXTEND, a technology designed to support the development of extremely premature babies by mimicking conditions inside the human uterus. EXTEND — short for Extra-uterine Environment for Newborn Development — was developed by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. The system is intended for babi

Research from the United Kingdom conducted in 2024 has highlighted a worrying connection between perceived gender discrimination and declines in mental wellbeing among middle-aged and older women — reinforcing calls for action to tackle sexism and support women’s mental health. A large longitudinal analysis published in PLOS ONE tracked more than 3,000 women aged 52 and over who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). It found that those who reported ha

Hormonal birth control is used by millions of women worldwide — most commonly to prevent pregnancy, but also to manage health conditions...

Scientists at Rice University  have developed a mathematical model that could transform our understanding of ovarian ageing and the...

The surgical removal of the uterus — with or without the ovaries — may carry more long-term health risks than previously understood,...

For centuries, women’s sexuality has been depicted, debated, and disciplined through images - from classical nudes in oil paintings to...

When women talk about body image, conversation usually centres on weight, skin, or hair. Rarely is the topic of female genitalia brought...

When athletes step onto the track, the court or the gym floor, their performance is often what spectators see first. But behind the...

Illustration by Maurice Wilson showing Homo erectus using fire and preparing tools When Homo erectus  first appeared nearly two million...

A new international study has found that while men and women achieve similar overall success in following the Mediterranean diet, the...

Bill Gates calls women’s health “ignored, underfunded and sidelined” in major new initiative The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will...

A new study links the length of a woman’s reproductive years to slower brain aging – and it could reshape how we think about hormones and...

Is AI going against women? A 2024 study made by UNESCO suggests that AI is not neutral. As it increasingly influences areas like...

Emerging research shows machine learning could accurately predict menstrual phases using physiological signals captured from a simple...

Dr Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri. Photography: Chris Radburn/Fixed Point Media A team of leading researchers at the University of Cambridge are...

The U.S. is facing a growing maternal mental health crisis—one that is quietly worsening beneath the surface of falling birth rates and...

The Irish Examiner National Women’s Health Survey 2025, conducted by Ipsos B&A, reveals a significant shift in reproductive planning: 33%...

Feeling lonely isn’t just emotionally painful—it could be deadly. A new Australian study has revealed that c hronic loneliness can triple...