When we think about health inequities, we think about the structural injustices suffered by minorities, those patients who, due to cultural oversight or a lack of data, can fall through the gaps. But what is rather more concerning are the various health inequities suffered by 51% of the population: women.
- Endometriosis: what the practice nurse needs to know
- Medical misogyny leaving women in years of 'needless pain'
- The paradox of pain
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has revealed that women who have received a diagnosis of endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it) will earn on average £56 a month less than they did pre-diagnosis. The charity Endometriosis UK claims that as many as one in six women with the condition have to leave the workplace, because of the debilitating pain and unsympathetic employers.
The indifference of the outside world is one thing, but the system has more than a little room for improvement here. Endometriosis UK has previously estimated that the average length of time taken for a woman to get a diagnosis for the condition is 8-10 years. Low awareness of a disease which affects 1 in 10 women of child-bearing age, and the casual attitude of many GPs have real-world consequences. And this is just one example of many.
Technology could offer some correctives. The ‘Femtech’ (technology specifically aimed at improving women’s health) market is booming, and the increasing use of AI in health offers some possibilities, although AI is only ever as good as the data it can harvest , and the danger is that it could reinforce biases. In the meantime, there is much that we can all do to raise our own awareness, and ensure that when woman reports pain, she is taken seriously.