News Story
Mar 2025 / News
In a commitment to tackling gender disparities in life-saving skills, Wales’ leading training provider, ACT, has invested in CPR dummies with realistic female anatomy. The move aims to ensure learners are confident and comfortable performing CPR on women, addressing a well-documented reluctance to do so in real-life emergencies.
The decision to introduce mannequins with breasts follows concerning research that reveals women who suffer a cardiac arrest in public are significantly less likely to receive CPR than men.
A recent study highlighted by The Guardian found that bystanders were often hesitant to act due to fears of ‘inappropriate touching’. The ‘taboo’ surrounding women’s chests means that currently only 68% of women are likely to receive CPR from bystanders compared with 73% of men.
Shockingly, previous research has shown that more than 8,200 women in England and Wales could have survived a heart attack if they had been given the same treatment as men, according to data between 2003 and 2013.
And it’s an issue that could be addressed at training level. A study by the University of Melbourne highlighted that only around one in 20 training dummies have breasts, meaning that most people who learn the life-saving skill of CPR are doing so on mannequins unlike a typical woman’s body.
ACT tutor, Joe Esau, said: “CPR training has historically been gender-neutral, but we now know that this approach has unintended negative consequences. Our investment in mannequins with breasts ensures our learners gain practical experience with anatomical differences, helping to break down any hesitations they have with performing CPR on a woman. Ultimately, this initiative is about increasing confidence in delivering CPR to all individuals, regardless of gender.”
Tutor, Darren Johns, added: “One of the most important lessons we teach is that CPR procedures remain the same, no matter the person’s gender. This new equipment helps learners realise that the primary focus should always be on saving a life. By ensuring learners feel comfortable and prepared in any scenario, we can improve survival rates and encourage more people to take action in an emergency.”
ACT is committed to providing inclusive and effective first aid training, equipping learners with the skills and confidence to act in any emergency, whether that’s out in public or in the workplace. You can find full details about ACT’s commercial courses here.
