What’s Current: Scientists need to stop ignoring sex differences in their studies

Scientists need to stop ignoring sex in their studies. Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis, a physician scientist at Tulane University in Louisiana, says many scientists still treat the male as representative of the species. The CBC reports: 

“‘It’s not just a story of hormones. It’s more complicated than that,’ he told us. Male and female creatures need to be studied as two separate biological systems.

As proof, he points to recent FDA warnings about drugs that affect women differently than men.

By failing to concentrate on sex-specific variables, he says scientists could be missing an important opportunity for discovery. That’s because some major diseases affect men and women differently, including Alzheimer’s disease and auto-immune disorders. It suggests that one sex is protected in some way.”

An Edmonton photo-radar supervisor has been charged with kidnapping and sexual assault after pulling a woman over, identifying himself as a peace officer, asking her to get into his SUV, and driving her more than 15 kilometres away, where he sexually assaulted her.

Body Blitz Spa, a women-only spa in Toronto, is under attack after refusing to admit a trans-identified male. So far, the company has stuck to their guns, saying:

“We support the LBGTQ community and recognize that this is a sensitive issue. However, because Body Blitz Spa is a single-sex facility with full-nudity, we are not like other facilities. We recognize that this is an important discussion for single-sex facilities to have and we will seek to find a satisfactory resolution.”

Ruchira Gupta, founder and president of Apne Aap Women Worldwide:

“The numbers of trafficked girls are going up, while their ages are coming down. This is the most urgent human rights crisis of our time.”

At PRWeek’s Hall of Femme conference, an all-male panel suggested women “speak up more loudly” in order to address sexism.

Meghan Murphy

Founder & Editor

Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist from Vancouver, BC. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including The Spectator, UnHerd, Quillette, the CBC, New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and is now exiled in Mexico with her very photogenic dog.