The Guardian: Sex-based discrimination in medicine costs lives
In a letter to The Guardian, Baroness Geeta Nargund, our founder, highlighted new research showing that women with the same health conditions as men are less likely to be offered treatment, including for kidney, heart and liver conditions.
She argues that this demonstrates how sex-based discrimination in healthcare extends beyond gynaecological conditions:
“Medical misogyny is not just rife in ‘women’s specialities’ ... but across fields, contributing to women receiving less treatment and less help for their health problems.”
The findings highlight the need for a fundamental shift in how women’s health is understood and treated. Baroness Nargund calls for:
Mandatory education in women’s health and sex- and gender-sensitive medicine throughout healthcare training and continuing professional development.
Stronger sex and health education in schools to challenge stereotypes and improve understanding of women’s health.
Action through the renewed Women’s Health Strategy and the 10-Year Health Plan for England to ensure women have equal access to timely diagnosis, appropriate investigation and effective care.
Women are not asking for preferential treatment. They are asking for equal access to healthcare. At the Health Equality Foundation, we believe that closing the gender health gap requires health professionals to better recognise women’s health needs and address sex-based differences in the treatment of conditions that affect both women and men, not just those specific to women’s health. Better education in women’s health medicine can help challenge these biases and help ensure that women receive equal access to treatment.