Examining Healthcare Stigmas Against Women: Why Aren’t We Being Believed?
Stigmas are negative attitudes and behaviors towards people, places, or things. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says stigmas can lead to “more fear or anger toward ordinary people instead of focusing on the disease that is causing the problem.” Healthcare stigmas can impact the quality of care for many populations, including women.
People who identify as women can face gender bias when seeking health care. Gender bias occurs when someone receives different treatment based on their actual or perceived gender identity. As a result, women can encounter discrimination and prejudice when seeking medical services. This can cause adverse health outcomes and distrust in the healthcare system.
Here’s a look at the most common healthcare stigmas against women.
Women’s health concerns aren’t believed
One of the more common healthcare stigmas against women is the assumption that they’re making up their health concerns. They can be dismissed or not taken seriously when they seek medical attention for different health problems. This is a widespread occurrence when it comes to reproductive health. When a woman’s health concerns are ignored, it can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, causing them to deal with unnecessary pain and discomfort.
Endometriosis: A misunderstood women’s health condition
Endometriosis is a commonly misunderstood condition that causes healthcare stigmas against women. Endometriosis is a reproductive condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus. The chronic condition can cause severe pain in the pelvis, fatigue, and heavy bleeding during or between periods.
Endometriosis affects about 10% of 190 million people globally but is often dismissed by healthcare providers. This can lead to significant delays in diagnosis and treatment. Because of misdiagnosis, women with endometriosis may spend years with unbearable pain and other symptoms.
Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed than men
Women are more likely to get the wrong diagnosis than men. According to a 2016 research study, women are 50% more likely to get misdiagnosed after having a heart attack than men. Heart attacks fall under cardiovascular or heart diseases. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, so it is often considered a “man’s disease.”
This assumption can be harmful to women. Women experience different heart-related symptoms than men. Women are more likely to have heart disease symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and nausea. Healthcare providers often misdiagnose women with heart disease by assuming they have gastrointestinal problems or anxiety.
Insufficient research on women’s health
Another healthcare stigma against women comes from a lack of medical research. Women have been excluded from medical research for decades. Now, more efforts are pushing to involve women in research studies. However, inadequate women’s health information still leads to a lack of understanding. With little to no medical research that healthcare providers can refer to, it can lead to a lack of effective treatments and a higher risk of negative health outcomes for women.
Many factors contribute to the many healthcare stigmas against women, including societal biases and stereotypes about women, a lack of education among healthcare providers, and systemic issues within the healthcare system.
How to address healthcare stigmas against women
So what can be done to address healthcare stigmas against women?
There are steps that can be taken to improve healthcare outcomes for women, including:
Education and training for healthcare providers: Better education and training to teach healthcare providers is needed about the unique health needs and conditions that affect women. For example, healthcare providers could receive training on women’s health topics like endometriosis, PCOS, and menopause and the impact of gender bias on healthcare outcomes.
More research on women’s health: There is a need for more research focused on women’s health concerns.
Raising awareness: Women should feel empowered to speak up about their health concerns and have their symptoms taken seriously. This can be done through awareness campaigns and education programs that break down healthcare stigmas and stereotypes.
Advocacy and policy change: Advocacy groups can work to promote policy change that addresses healthcare stigmas against women, including measures that increase access to healthcare and improve healthcare outcomes for women.
Support networks: Support networks and peer-to-peer groups can be a great resource for women facing challenges with healthcare stigmas and gender bias. These groups can provide emotional support, information, and advice to women who are navigating the healthcare system.
Intersectional approaches: Healthcare stigmas against women are often heightened by other forms of discrimination and bias, such as racism, ableism, and homophobia. Addressing healthcare stigmas requires an intersectional approach that recognizes and addresses how different forms of discrimination intersect and affect one another.
Healthcare stigmas against women are a significant problem that can lead to adverse health outcomes. Women are often dismissed or not taken seriously when they seek medical attention for pain and other symptoms. This can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Medical training, education, and advocacy are necessary to improve women's health outcomes.
Found this blog insightful? Check out these other blogs on Chronic Thoughts: Here are 6 Common Misconceptions About Endometriosis and Why Women Self-Report Worse Health Outcomes.
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