Three words: Gender. Health. Equity.
Growing up, I always trusted my doctors. As a young girl, it never occurred to me that the person you choose as your doctor really matters. All I cared about was making sure to get a giant sticker and sugary lollipop at the end of my visit. Now that I have grown up and am starting to care more and more about the type of primary care I receive, I am definitely more concerned about who my doctor is.
Because I am a woman with a vagina and boobs, I personally prefer a female doctor compared to a male doctor. A female doctor will better relate to me and can understand my issues on a personal level. She also knows what it’s like to have immense swelling in your boobs and intense cramps when on your period. It’s just easier to talk about these issues openly when the person listening is able to deeply understand you.
Although these female doctors can understand me better, I have realized that the healthcare field still has a lot to learn about women’s health. Gender bias is widely prevalent and still continues to thrive in the 21st century. Due to stigma, discrimination, and the patriarchy, women’s health is not as clearly understood and often goes unnoticed as compared to men’s health. Women are made to feel as if their health issues do not matter as much as men’s because they are not widely discussed.
When have you heard people openly talk about sexually transmitted diseases or yeast infections? UTI’s? Endometriosis? Very rarely, but mostly never. How common is it to hear about heart disease? Very common. Although the vagina and heart are both organs of the same body, they are talked about in very different manners. Talking about issues with the vagina is kept secret and is laced with stigma. Not to mention how common issues with the vagina are! Having a problem with the heart or any other “conventional” organ is widely talked about, with people not even thinking twice about asking for help.
Due to this stigma, many women do not talk about their health issues, further perpetuating the cycle of shame. Gender bias is everywhere, but drastically affects women’s health. It’s time for the healthcare industry to learn more about gender health bias and methods to combat it. Instead of shaming women for having reproductive organs that literally grow and carry life, we should be empowering all women by giving them proper medical care filled with empathy and support.