Longevity for All: Making Aging Interventions Equitable

What does it really mean to age well—and why does gender play such a big role in who gets access to prevention and longevity interventions?

Part 3 of the “Starting Young” Series on Aging Interventions

If Part 1 made the case for starting early and Part 2 laid bare the barriers, Part 3 looks at one of the most fascinating layers of this conversation: gender.

Who gets to age well, and how, isn’t the same for everyone. Our biology, social roles, and cultural expectations all shape what interventions we seek, what’s available to us, and how much we’re willing—or able—to pay.

How Women and Men Engage with Prevention Differently

Women, on average, use more preventive services than men. They’re more likely to go for checkups, to know their coverage benefits, and to follow through on screenings. Some of this is structural: the healthcare system already funnels women into regular visits for reproductive health, contraception, and pregnancy-related care.

Men, by contrast, tend to underuse preventive care until symptoms appear. Social norms around stoicism and “toughing it out” still run deep, and there’s less of a cultural script for a man in his 30s or 40s to have an annual wellness visit unless something is wrong. The result: even when aging interventions are available, women are often the early adopters. Men may miss the window where those interventions could have their greatest effect.

Biology Matters, Too

Sex differences in aging are real. Women face abrupt hormonal shifts in midlife, perimenopause and menopause, that dramatically change bone health, metabolism, and cardiovascular risk. Men’s hormonal changes are slower and more gradual, but cardiovascular disease and certain cancers hit them earlier.

That means the “starting young” conversation isn’t one-size-fits-all. Bone density scans and strength training might be high-priority for women in their 40s. Cardiovascular monitoring might make sense for men in their 30s. Yet most insurance coverage doesn’t recognize these nuances until disease risk is already high.

The Caregiving Paradox

Women are also more likely to be caregivers—for children, aging parents, or partners—which limits their time and resources to seek out their own preventive care. Ironically, the very people most attuned to health are often the ones delaying their own interventions because they are caring for others.

Solutions have to meet people where they are: flexible scheduling, telehealth options, at-home testing, and affordable entry points that don’t require taking half a day off work.

The Risk of Longevity Becoming a Luxury

If we don’t address these inequities, we risk building a two-tier future: those who can afford to measure and optimize their healthspan and those who cannot.

That future doesn’t just affect individuals; it affects communities, economies, and generations. The cost of late-life disability is borne by everyone, through taxes, caregiving labor, and social systems. Making early interventions broadly accessible isn’t just fair, it’s economically smart.

What a More Equitable Future Could Look Like

• Gender-specific evidence: Clinical trials that disaggregate data by sex, so women and men can make informed choices about what works for them.

• Broader insurance coverage: Recognizing validated aging biomarkers, strength training, nutrition counseling, and stress management as standard preventive care.

• Accessible options: Affordable at-home testing kits, group programs, community-based health coaching that scale access beyond urban, affluent populations.

• Cultural shift: Reframing prevention as strength and vitality, appealing to men as much as to women, and normalizing talking about aging as something we actively shape.

• Equity lens: Subsidies, sliding scales, and public health initiatives to ensure early interventions aren’t just for those who already have the longest life expectancies.

Your Role in This

This is a conversation for policymakers, insurers, and anyone who cares about their future health.

Start by paying exquisite attention to your own body now. Ask questions about what’s possible, not just what’s covered. Share what you learn with friends and family, especially the ones who don’t usually go to the doctor until they have to.

The future of aging is being built in real time. If we get it right, we create a world where vitality, clarity, and joy are available to everyone, not just the few.