Women in the North have shorter lives and work longer for less pay, study finds

Women living in the North of England live shorter lives and work more hours for less pay, according to a study.

The study published by Health Equity North also found they are more likely to be an unpaid carer and live in poverty than women other regions of England.

The report, Woman of the North: Inequality, health and work, has the backing of regional mayors Tracy Brabin and Kim McGuinness, and calls on central Government to do more to tackle regional inequality.

According to the findings, women living in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber have a lower healthy life expectancy, fewer qualifications, poorer mental health and are at an increased risk of suffering domestic violence or ending up in the criminal justice system.

It also found rates of infant mortality are higher and abortions are more common.

According to the report, girls who were born in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber between 2018 and 2020 can expect to live in good health until 59.7, 62.4 and 62.1 years respectively - that figure is up to four years less than the national average and up to six years less than girls born in the South East.

Women in the North contribute £10bn of unpaid care to the UK economy each year, the findings show, while one in five women aged 55-59 provide care to a family member because of sickness, disability, mental illness or substance use.

The report took contributions from more than 70 academics and experts in health and social care.

Hannah Davies, executive director at Health Equity North, said: “Our report provides damning evidence of how women in the North are being failed across the whole span of their lives.

“Over the last 10 years, women in the North have been falling behind their counterparts in the rest of country, both in terms of the wider determinants of health and, consequently, inequalities in their health.

"There is a lot of work that needs to be done to turn the tide on the years of damage detailed in this report. But the situation for women’s health in the North can be changed for the better through evidence-based policy interventions.”

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “From leaving school to the boardroom, at home and at work, women and girls across the North bear the brunt of failings in our economy, society and public services.

“The lack of equality and opportunity that remains ingrained in modern Britain is unacceptable.”

Among the measures suggested were helping women to claim their rightful benefits, improving childcare provision and ending the two-child benefit cap.

A Government spokesperson has said: “It is wrong that people in different parts of the country have different chances of enjoying a long life in good health – which is why we have made it a national mission to grow the economy and make work pay for hardworking families wherever they live.

“We want to transform the lives of working women across the country, including by ensuring employers take steps to improve gender equality, and strengthening protections from sexual harassment.

“We will also take action across government to tackle the underlying causes of poor health, support people to live independently for longer, and reduce the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions in England.”

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