They've shown that sexism causes cognitive loss in older women.
2025/01/07 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
A study conducted in the United States has shown that women born in the most sexist states have greater cognitive loss as they age than those born in states with greater gender equality. The University of Columbia has been in charge of leading the study, which highlights that the difference between them is like 9 years of age, with special incidence in black women. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The results have been published openly in the journal The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Previous research has shown that machismo affects the brain and cognition. For example, in a study published in the PNAS in 2023, images of 7,876 MRI scans from 29 countries were analyzed and it was concluded that in countries with large gender imbalances, the cerebral cortex of women is thinner than that of men, especially in the right hemisphere. On the other hand, in countries with greater parity, these differences in the thickness of the cortex are not observed.
As explained by the researchers, in addition to emotions and trauma, the condition of living in precarious conditions, the scarcity of material resources and the limitation of education have a direct influence on the development of the brain.
Research conducted in the United States also corroborates these factors and highlights that the consequences are exacerbated when racism and gender discrimination cross. Thus, they suggest that balancing social inequalities can be an effective strategy to reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in women and remember that sexism is structural. Specifically, two-thirds of Alzheimer's patients in the United States are women.
