💔 Why Are Women Less Likely to Receive CPR — And How We’re Changing That

May 28

When it comes to cardiac arrest, every second counts. Bystander CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. But here’s a startling truth: women are significantly less likely than men to receive CPR in public — and it’s costing lives.

📉 The Stats You Need to Know

Recent studies show that:

Only 39% of women receive bystander CPR in public, compared to 45% of men.
Women are less likely to survive a cardiac event in public spaces.
This disparity exists across age groups, races, and locations.

So what’s causing this life-threatening gap?

🧠 The Barriers Behind the Numbers

1. Fear of Touching a Woman’s Chest
Some bystanders hesitate to perform chest compressions on women because they fear accusations of inappropriate contact — even during an emergency.

2. Misconceptions About Women and Heart Attacks
Many people don’t realize that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. Chest pain in women may be dismissed or misunderstood — both by the public and sometimes by medical professionals.

3. Lack of Representation in Training Materials
CPR manikins are often male-shaped. Scenarios used in training rarely reflect diverse genders, body types, or clothing situations, leaving students unprepared to act without hesitation.

💡 What We’re Doing About It

At LifeSaver Education, we’re on a mission to change this.

We include gender-inclusive scenarios in all our CPR training courses.
Our instructors openly discuss these disparities and help students build the confidence to act without fear or hesitation.
We’ve incorporated the new Prestan female manikins with anatomically accurate breast features into our CPR classes to better prepare students for real-life scenarios and help address the gender disparities in bystander response.
We’re committed to training more people in underserved communities, including women and Spanish-speaking populations who may not have had access to CPR education before.

Because saving a life shouldn’t depend on someone’s gender.

🫀 You Can Make a Difference

Learning CPR doesn’t just empower you — it changes the odds for everyone around you. When more people are trained and aware, we save more lives. Period.

✅ Take a class.
✅ Encourage others to learn.
✅ Be ready to act — no matter who needs help.

💬 Ready to take action?
Click on book a class to register for your next CPR class — and help us close the gap. To read more about the disparities in CPR for women at https://cpr.heart.org/en/training-programs/community-programs/cpr-for-women

Carmen Acosta