Despite a pledge to cut the health gap between the richest and poorest, the difference in women's life expectancy is widening, a government report shows.
Details: The aim is to reduce the differences in infant mortality, and in male and female life expectancy by 10% by 2010.
But the report shows the gap in life expectancy for women in the most deprived areas of England and the rest of the country is getting worse.
The government said inequalities were "difficult to change."
The report, the third annual analysis of the implementation of a 2003 strategy to tackle health inequalities, says there have been real improvements.
Life expectancy in the most deprived areas has increased by two and a half years for men and one and a half years for women over the last 10 years.
'Too early'
Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "This report proves what we already know - health inequalities are difficult to change.
"We've set ourselves an ambitious target and we're the only country in the world to have a plan to reduce health inequalities. We are determined to make a difference."
She said the 70 local authority areas with the highest level of deprivation now had "health trainers" to help people improve their health, and that there was action to tackle rates of obesity and smoking.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who chaired the group which compiled the report, said: "While it is too early to see any short term impact on health inequalities, the report shows a very welcome improvement in life expectancy for all social groups, including disadvantaged groups.
"There are encouraging signs of a reduction in health inequalities in the two big killers of cancer and heart disease.
"Wider policy too makes a difference to health inequalities with over 600,000 children taken out of poverty over the last 10 years."
This report proves what we already know - health inequalities are difficult to change 