Most people have heard of the gender pay gap, but what about the gender data gap? This refers to missing or underrepresented data collection for a specific gender in data collection procedures. Not always, but most often the lack of data affects women.
Stigma & taboo
In the medical field, a lack of data can be not only unpleasant but also dangerous. Missing or low levels of female study participants in medical research can lead to one-sided research results, which in turn can lead to medical misdiagnosis or incorrect medication. Medical neglect of women is nothing new: women’s health needs were often neglected in the past or viewed as less important than those of men. This led to the underrepresentation of women in medical research and the development of health technologies. In addition, many topics related to women’s health – such as menstruation, fertility, pregnancy, and sexual health – have historically been taboo or stigmatized. Taboos that often persist today.
Femtech: individual health data for women
This is exactly where femtech comes in. The term derives from “female technology” and refers to products and services that serve to improve or support women’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Women often have different health needs and experiences compared to men. Femtech aims to enable a personalized approach to healthcare by collecting individual health data, analyzing it, and offering tailored recommendations and treatments based on that data.
Femtech encompasses a wide range of applications, including:
- Menstrual and fertility tracking apps: These apps help women track their menstrual cycle, monitor their fertility, and get information about their reproductive health status.
- Pregnancy and birth monitoring: There are various technologies that can help pregnant women monitor their pregnancy, track their baby’s development, and detect potential problems early.
- Health and wellness apps: These include a variety of applications that address topics such as nutrition, fitness, mental health, sexual health, and other aspects of women’s well-being.
- Medical devices and wearables: Femtech also includes medical devices and wearables specifically developed for women, such as devices for monitoring heart health, sleep patterns, or other health indicators.
Through femtech applications, women’s access to healthcare can be improved, especially in regions where access to medical facilities is limited or where women may not have the opportunity to seek medical care due to cultural or socioeconomic barriers. Through technologies such as apps and wearables, women can access information and services they might otherwise not receive.
Munich femtech startups
The topic of femtech has also arrived in the Munich startup ecosystem – still with room for growth, but a start has been made. Munich startups working in this field include, for example:
- Vimum: The startup wants to take a new approach to birth preparation. Vimum offers online courses in a hybrid model for expectant and new parents. Courses on demand, combined with personal consultation. With its multimedia e-health platform, the startup has found an answer to a social problem, especially during the corona period. During this time, previously mostly analog birth preparation courses could often no longer take place. And even after corona, the need for care before and after birth exists – regardless of time and place. With this approach, the Munich company has meanwhile also won health insurance companies as partners.
- Femfeel: The Munich company accompanies women digitally through their menopause with its platform. In the free version of its app, Femfeel offers various informational articles about menopause. It also provides the option to track and evaluate symptoms. The premium version of the app also offers courses from experts. These are designed to help increase well-being during menopause through exercise, nutrition, and stress reduction. In addition to the app, the startup offers women the opportunity to gain clarity about their current hormone status through a hormone test combined with a consultation with a hormone expert. During the consultation, all questions about menopause should be answered. In autumn 2023, the young company was acquired by Iserlohn pharmaceutical company Medice Health Family.
- Gobunion: A hallux valgus – a bunion – is much more common in women than in men. To address this problem, Gobunion founder Sarita Bradley developed an innovative alternative. The Gobunion socks feature a soft gel toe separator that stretches the big toe back to its original position and prevents the curvature from increasing. The “2 in 1” product is designed to help with daily bunion care, prevent more severe curvature, and provide pain relief through an optimized size and strength of the soft gel. In 2019, she pitched Gobunion on the German version of Dragon’s Den and won Ralf Dümmel as an investor for her company. The deal: 150,000 euros for 49 percent of the shares.