Why neurodiversity is a gender issue

Neurodiversity is not only a leadership issue, but also a gender matter – and 75% of women in the UK are undiagnosed 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Feel Good Leadership

The gender link in neurodiversity is apparent. The largest women’s organisation in the UK, the Women’s Institute, passed a resolution in June that ‘Women and Girls with ASD and ADHD are under-identified, under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, under-supported.’ 

What is the Women’s Institute (WI)?

• It has over 190,000 members.
• It is over 100 years old.
• They started during World War I.
• The WI believes women are agents of change and need a place to be themselves. 
• The WI is aims to build a better society for women.
• It has a democratic approach to campaigning; each member can raise concerns. 

Head of public affairs for the National Federation of the Women’s Institutes, Emma Holland-Lindsay, says the most popular campaign resolution, which received 22,683 votes, was to support and advocate for women and girls with neurodiversity. The resolution states:

Women and girls with autistic spectrum disorder  and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are going undiagnosed. The resolution calls on the government and funding bodies to fund research into the female presentation of ASD and ADHD, and for action to be taken to improve the diagnosis process for women and girls, to ensure that they are equipped to better manage these conditions, and do not suffer in silence.

Pressing concerns

• Women are under pressure to conform in a male-dominated neurotypical space.
• Women feel exhaustion when it appears they do not fit in and as though they have to mask who they truly are.
• Women are waiting years to get diagnosed. 
• Women are seeking self-acceptance and diagnosis to come to terms with trauma of the past. 
• ADHD and autism are seen as male conditions and women are being left behind. 

The Women’s Institute has called for a series of actions to create a safe space to gain companionship and change lives.