Women in the North of England are living shorter lives.

Working longer hours for less pay, and facing higher rates of poverty compared to those in other regions.

This stark reality has been brought to light by new research from Health Equity North.

Painting a grim picture of the challenges these women endure.

The research reveals that girls born in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and Humber between 2018 and 2020

can only expect to live in good health until they are 59,62 and 62 years old, respectively.

These figures are up to six years lower than those for girls born in the South East.

Highlighting a deep regional disparity in health outcomes.

Hannah Davies, the executive director at Health Equity North, expressed grave concern over the findings.

“Our report shows that women in the North are being failed throughout their lives,” she stated.

“Over the past decade, they have fallen behind their counterparts in other regions, both in terms of health and the wider factors that influence it.

We have a lot of work to do to reverse this damage.”

The financial impact on women in the North is equally distressing. They earn significantly less than women in other parts of the country.

For example, women in the North East earn an average of £569 per week, while the national average is £625, and in London, it rises to £757.

Professor Kate Pickett, academic co-director at Health Equity North, pointed to poverty as a key driver of these inequalities.

“The inequality we see affecting these women is largely a consequence of poverty, which is unacceptable in one of the world’s largest economies,” she said.

The report also highlights the disproportionate burden of unpaid care carried by Northern women.

They contribute £10 billion in unpaid care annually.

This unpaid labour often comes at the cost of their own health and well-being.