Student Article

The gender pain gap highlights significant disparities in how women's pain is treated compared with men's.

What the research shows

A fundamental flaw exists in the healthcare system, and it’s having dire consequences for women. Pain in women is poorly understood, and often mistreated, compared with pain in men — due to systemic gaps and biases. This is known as the gender pain gap, and it is widening. A recent report commissioned by Nurofen, shows that in 2023, 11% more women than men feel their pain has been ignored or dismissed, compared with 7% in 2022. The report surveyed more than 5,000 people, with a near 50:50 split between men and women. It found that it takes UK women longer than men to receive a medical diagnosis for the same types of pain. Fewer than half (47%) of women surveyed received a diagnosis within 11 months, compared with two-thirds (66%) of men. Additionally, more women than men (14% vs. 9%) still did not have a diagnosis for their pain after 12 months or longer. And a third of women felt the delay in diagnosis was because they were not listened to, or taken seriously by their healthcare professionals, or, worse still, completely dismissed.

Misunderstood and mislabeled

Similarly, in a recent survey of over 110,000 women in the Government’s call for evidence (2021) for the Women’s Health Strategy, 50% of women felt their pain was ignored and/or dismissed. This dismissal was often coupled with being told that certain symptoms should be accepted as inherent to being a woman and therefore did not require treatment. This was particularly prevalent in relation to menstrual health. Dr Marieke Bigg, sociologist and author of This Won’t Hurt: How Medicine Fails Women says: "Healthcare professionals continually misattributes women’s symptoms to stress or ‘hormones,’ while men are more likely to be sent for a physical check — even when complaining of the same type of pain. Over time, this has led to women’s pain being overlooked, resulting in a gender pain gap. Women are waiting longer to get a diagnosis for their pain, and do not feel empowered to push for the support they need. This is unacceptable.”

A history of being left out

The gender pain gap is also influenced by the lack of medical research on women's health. Until 1993, women were not allowed to participate in clinical trials, leading to a gap in knowledge about how to treat women's pain. This has resulted in a "male as default" approach in medicine, where less is known about conditions that predominantly affect women.

Moving toward fair treatment

To address the gender pain gap, it is important to listen to women, take their pain seriously, and conduct more research on women's health. This will help ensure that women receive the care they need and improve their quality of life.

© Dr. Michelle Griffin / Our Media