Chronic Pain and Chronic Bias in Women’s Healthcare

Abstract

Gender bias against women with respect to the treatment of chronic pain is evident in several ways. Recent studies reveal that women receive poorer pain management care and have less access to such care. Such disparities are further perpetuated in the type of pain management offered to females in the form of psychotherapy as compared to men who typically receive pharmacological medications. The 2023 documentary Below the Belt shows real life journeys of women battling endometriosis, illustrating how the medical system in modern America marginalizes female pain management. Women’s health issues receive less research funding, inspiring the gender biases that are prevalent across all aspects of medical healthcare and healthcare research. In addition, a lack of focus on gender and sex disparities in medical school curricula further perpetuates the problem, as medical practitioners are not educated on the differences in experience between populations. Raising issues of gender awareness and differences in care for males and females at the start of the medical journey enables the issue of gender bias in medical care to be dealt with at the root of the system. This paper aims to highlight the impact of gender bias in women’s healthcare for chronic pain within every step of the medical process.