IWD 2022: Gender Disparity in Healthcare

Two of Alleyn's MedSoc students Amy and Emily (Year 12) gave an eye-opening talk about the many disparities and biases that exist in the medical profession and healthcare. Their talk was organised as part of International Women's Day 2022.

They drew our attention to the inequalities in diagnoses, treatment and distribution of resources. They found, for example, that the National Institutes of Health (USA) applies a disproportionate share of its resources to diseases that affect primarily men, at the expense of those that primarily affect women. And even though women are twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease as from breast cancer, heart disease is considered a man's disease, which leads to delayed or mis -diagnoses and to inferior treatment. In addition, they explained that there was data to show a difference in treatments for men and women for the same illnesses.

Amy explained that these biases have existed since ancient times. She referenced historical ideas such as Aristotle's comparison between superior male form and inferior female matter and the medieval belief that women were imbalanced, emotional and 'hysteric'. Those ideas still persist today as women patients with chronic pain are more likely to be dismissed and not taken seriously.

The situation is even worse, said Emily, among BAME women. The statistics, for instance, around stillbirths and cancer in women of colour are staggering. Much worse are those who exist in the intersection of race and poverty and those in the trans and non-binary communities.

So how do we combat this? Amy and Emily listed a number of steps that need to be taken, "none of which will solve things overnight" said Amy. From identifying the issues and raising awareness to providing access and training, it was clear that healthcare needs a lot of work to redress the balance. However, it was clear that Amy and Emily were determined to be part of that change and prepared to do the work. These talented, compassionate students give us a great deal of hope for the future.