Mind the gap: confronting gender inequality in the healthcare sector
From menopause to miscarriage, periods to pregnancy, there is no doubt that women have been neglected when it comes to their health. In our society, the conversation about health all too often centers around well-known, extensively researched and frequently discussed medical issues. However, there are a myriad of female-specific conditions that often remain underrepresented in the literature and often ignored.
According to a poll by Gallup from the start of 2023, one in five British women are in pain every day but more than a quarter have not been able to get a diagnosis, with 15% saying it took eight or more visits to the doctor to receive one. In the UK, women will need to see a doctor, on average, up to five times before the cause of their pain is diagnosed. These statistics pose the question – why is it these painful illnesses, which are clearly debilitating and affecting everyday life, are so frequently disregarded?
In our evolving society, which is continually making strides towards gender equality, it seems archaic that women continue to lack adequate access to essential healthcare. This challenge is precisely why EveryWoman Day was established, which we recognise today.
The primary goal of EveryWoman Day is to bring awareness to these regularly misunderstood and overlooked women's health conditions. The project shares personal experiences so other women can benefit, offers support and fosters hope for women that their lives will be better in the future.
While many women’s health conditions are extremely common, they are continually omitted from the overall health conversation. In the Department for Health and Social Care’s ‘Women’s Health – Let’s Talk About It’ survey from Spring 2021, it was found that less than one in five women feel they have enough information on menstrual wellbeing, only one in seven have enough information on gynaecological cancers, and less than one in 10 have enough information on the menopause (9%) and gynaecological ailments (8%). Through EveryWoman Day, women are being encouraged to raise their voices by sharing their own health stories on social media – what they are going through, how it impacts them and how they cope, from a human rather than a medical perspective. As women create important dialogue, the hope is that the focus on women’s health conditions will become more prominent, leading to greater investment and improved care. In the meantime, by having open discussions and exchanging strategies for managing these women-specific issues, others can reap the benefits and learn how to make their own lives more manageable when science or medicine can’t always help, for now. It can also remind women that they are not alone in their struggle, and there is life beyond their condition.
In the ‘Better for Women’ report published in 2019 by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, it was shown that 24% of women feel unable to seek care because of embarrassment about their situation and 15% feel they can’t due to fear of being judged. By spreading relevant and helpful information, and consciously including women’s health conditions in the overall health conversation, we can help these women develop the confidence to seek the help they need.
The power of social media when tackling challenges such as these is undeniable. Dr Nighat Arif has spent the past four years using her platforms to advocate for women’s health and has amassed over 236,000 followers on TikTok, demonstrating that women gravitate towards this validating and informative content. Through articles such as this one, we can bring increased recognition to women’s health conditions - that clearly need more representation - ignite real change and drive tangible action within the scientific and medical communities, as well as society in general.
“Every Woman. Something Extraordinary. Every Day.”
If you have a story to share or want to show your support for the cause, head over to www.everywomanday.com or follow them on Instagram.