A particular question that has been circulating in my mind recently is: Why don’t women prioritize their health? A study done by Hologic and Gallup revealed some alarming new data that further emphasized this issue. The organization surveyed 4,001 women across the United States, asking them questions regarding their physical well-being and how high of a priority it is for them.
According to the data collected, more than 6/10 women say it is challenging to keep their health as a top priority. Which generation scored the highest percentage? Gen Z women. So why is this? Shouldn’t we all be prioritizing our health first? I believe that we as a generation are trying to break stigmas surrounding health issues and prioritization, so why are we showing the highest numbers? In this article, we will dive deeper into the problems women face that prevent them from prioritizing health.
Many women claimed to feel “too overwhelmed,” and adding other stressors to their system would be too much. There are a ton of factors that tie into this emotion, one being the stress of school. Most college students have a demanding workload that may hinder their ability and willingness to focus on other important aspects of their lives, including health. For the older end of the Gen Z generation, many women said work was where they felt the most overwhelmed. They feel a lot of pressure for them to perform well and exceed expectations.
Connecting to the last example, numerous Gen Z women say they simply do not have “enough time” to make health a top priority. I resonate with this the most. As a sophomore in college, I am applying to internships, managing a heavy course load, balancing a part-time job, and participating in three clubs on campus. With all of this going on, it is hard to allocate time for myself. I know this is felt among many of the Gen Z generation. There’s just frankly no time to make health a priority when there is a never-ending list of other jobs to be done.
Lastly, one of the main issues women stated was caring for others. This is more prevalent among older Gen Z women. Many feel compelled to prioritize the health and well-being of parents, children, or even friends over their own. This tendency to place others’ needs before our own is deeply ingrained in societal expectations, often framing women as primary caregivers. In turn, consciously or even subconsciously, women have a sense of duty to prioritize others’ health. This obligation causes women to feel that prioritizing their health would be selfish or unnecessary.
This is a prevalent issue for women nationwide, especially in our generation, and one that needs to be addressed. We must start putting ourselves first, as we often wait until it is too late to take action.