Women’s Crucial Role in the Dementia Landscape – Three Areas of Change

Dementia is the leading cause of death in Women- and has been for thirteen years.

Sixty five percent of people living with dementia in the U.K are women. ¹

Since 2011, dementia has been the leading cause of death among women in the U.K. Several studies have explored why this might be, but with no definitive answer. ²

It is unclear why there is a higher rate of dementia amongst women, while it’s commonly observed that women tend to outlive men, the connection between longevity and dementia isn’t straight forward, as age is not a direct cause of dementia.

We are racing towards preventions and cures for dementia. It is imperative to build our understanding of how specific risk factors uniquely affect women to provide valuable insights for reducing dementia incidence in the future.

“Race Against Dementia provides a platform to enable networking and collaboration amongst future leaders. This ensures that our research will make a lasting impact in the dementia landscape.” Dr Emily Lane-Hill

Women are more likely to become carers for loved ones living with dementia

• For every three people caring for a loved one living with dementia, two are women. ³

• Women contribute around 71% of the global hours of informal dementia care. Often giving up or reducing work hours to provide this care for their loved one. ⁴

• People providing unpaid care are 2.5 times more likely to experience psychological distress and poor health than non-carers. ⁵

“Caring for a loved one with dementia can take a huge emotional and psychological toll on their families. I hope that my research can ease these emotional costs by improving our understanding of dementia and find more effective treatments to stop it.” Dr Amy Lloyd.

What about women at the forefront of dementia research?

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is inclusion. Despite making up the majority (60%) of dementia researchers, women in academia are less likely than men to advance into senior positions.⁶

The absence of female scientists in dementia research means overlooking crucial perspectives and talent.

“The representation of women in senior roles within dementia research remains disproportionately low. I am extremely proud to stand among the exceptional women race against dementia fellows. The tailored race against dementia training programs have been instrumental in securing my ARUK senior fellowship. This prestigious fellowship enables me to establish my own independent laboratory, focusing on understanding the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. I aspire to become a role model for future generations of women, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds, encouraging them to pursue careers in dementia research and contribute to creating a future free from the heartbreak of dementia.” Dr Christy Hung

 “At Race Against Dementia, 67% of our fellows are women, 50% of female Fellows have been promoted to more senior research positions since joining Race Against Dementia.” Veronica Bamford- Deane, Race Against Dementia CEO

“The whole field started with the diagnosis of one woman.”

Dr Claire Durrant said, “In Alzheimer’s disease, my research field, the whole field started with the diagnosis of one woman, Auguste Deter and throughout the years, fantastic female scientists have been driving progress to one day find a cure.

I hope a woman, or her team will drive this forward and including women in research is going to be so important to make these meaningful breakthroughs.”

The global team of researchers at Race Against Dementia have been hand-picked for their innovative and collaborative approaches to dementia research. They are determined to win the race against dementia – for everyone affected by dementia.

1. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/leadingcausesofdeathuk/2001to2018 ↩︎
2. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/leadingcausesofdeathuk/2001to2018
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3. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Womens-unpaid-dementia-care-and-the-impact-on-employment.pdf ↩︎
4. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Womens-unpaid-dementia-care-and-the-impact-on-employment.pdf
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5. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-04/Womens-unpaid-dementia-care-and-the-impact-on-employment.pdf ↩︎
6. https://healthopenresearch.org/articles/4-18 ↩︎