Alzheimer’s in Women: Beyond Biology

While biology and hormones influence women’s risk for Alzheimer’s, social and cultural factors also play an important role in shaping brain health throughout life.

Social and cultural factors, including education level, job opportunities, and exposure to sexism, can significantly influence Alzheimer’s risk. For example, more years of education can help the brain build “cognitive reserve,” strengthening its ability to adapt to damage. Professional opportunities provide mental stimulation and social engagement that protect brain health, while experiences of discrimination can create chronic stress that negatively impacts memory and cognition. Women who have had fewer years of formal education or limited access to professional employment may face a higher dementia risk due to reduced “cognitive reserve,” or the brain’s ability to adapt and compensate for damage (Moutinho, 2025).

Art by Shea Davis

Historical and systemic inequalities can amplify this risk. For example, women who grew up in regions with higher structural sexism were found to experience faster memory decline later in life. Black women and other women of color face compounded risks due to overlapping gender and racial discrimination, which can lead to chronic stress and related health problems that affect brain health (Moutinho, 2025).

Another layer of risk comes from caregiving itself. Women are far more likely to take on the responsibility of caring for family members with Alzheimer’s, often their own mothers. This role, while essential, can create chronic stress, financial strain, and disruptions to their careers and personal health. In this way, systemic sexism shows up not only in women’s early-life opportunities but also in the expectations placed on them later in life, expectations that may increase their own vulnerability to Alzheimer’s down the line.

Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. It can begin silently in midlife. Understanding why women are disproportionately affected means looking beyond biology and addressing the social and cultural conditions that impact brain health across a woman’s lifetime.