A recent study from Columbia University reveals that gender inequality may have more detrimental effects on women’s mental health than previously thought. The research, analyzing data from nearly 21,000 women, found that those born in states with higher structural sexism exhibited faster memory decline in later life. Notably, women from Mississippi showed cognitive decline similar to women nine years older. The findings underscore the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women in the U.S., with nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients being female, partly due to their longer lifespans.