The idea of pain bias came after reading an article that listed comments from several women relaying their experiences with doctors when in immense pain. They discussed doctors belittling them or telling them they were lying about their pain. They also compared the handling of their pain with the men in their lives; one stated, “my then-husband had his vasectomy done eight weeks after my fourth baby. During 15 hours of labor, I had gas. For the excruciating pain after, I got OTC pain killers. For the raw, cracked bleeding nipples, I was told, ‘You know how it goes, they’ll toughen up in a couple of weeks (of breastfeeding).’ He was given Valium to take the night before, another one for that morning, and then pain relief for the duration of the five-minute procedure” (Vouloumanos).
Looking further I found extensive examples of these kinds of cases. As well as terms like “Yentl syndrome” which describes “what happens when women present to their doctors with symptoms that differ from men’s — they often get misdiagnosed, mistreated, or told the pain is all in their heads” (Vox). This isn’t just applicable in healthcare, but also the workplace. In a specific case, as described by Laura Kiesel in the article “Women and Pain: Disparities in Experience and Treatment”, a man named David Roberts released a story that discussed his many years of chronic pain. David’s story was redistributed, reposted, and obtained a great amount of sympathy even in the workplace where his boss took his story with “utmost seriousness” (Kiesel). Stories like this should be brought to light, and talked about greatly, but with both men and women alike. In situations like these women are essentially the subaltern, they have no voice, their experiences are overlooked, and their opinions, in comparison with a man, aren’t as serious or important.
Women’s experiences with pain, like those described in the comments from those women in Vouloumanos’ article, should be made known. If women were heard, even just to make aware of sex discrepancies, then there could be more research and studies done to accommodate for these differences. For instance, Caroline Perez, in the Vox Media article, described a story she heard of someone’s mother dying “of a heart attack because she didn’t present with the ‘typical’ male symptoms.” (Vox).
Whether it’s in the workplace or healthcare this is a clear representation of systemic injustice because women are being ignored, refused appropriate medication, and given improper doses of medication. And the reasoning comes down to biases and societal norms that exhibit an overall preference for men. The impacts of this are substantial, less clearly than death, it’s also worth noting that pain is a very traumatizing experience, especially the kind of pain that comes from most of the procedures listed in these articles. To change this, healthcare professionals have to stop disregarding women’s pain for no other reason than “they didn’t think it would hurt” and women should get more media representation for these experiences to highlight persisting problems in healthcare.
Link to Related Social Media Thread:
A social media thread consisting of nearly two thousand comments from, about, or in response to female individuals who discuss their experiences after visiting the gynecologist.
“r/TwoXChromosomes – Why Are Many Gynecological Procedures Done without Pain Medicine?” Reddit, www.reddit
Works Cited
“Everything Is Designed for This Man, Even Drugs.” YouTube, Vox, 18 Nov. 2019, https://youtu.be/CVdn-2KE2bs.
Kiesel, Laura. “Women and Pain: Disparities in Experience and Treatment.” Harvard Health, 9 Oct. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562.
Samuel, Sigal. “Women Suffer Needless Pain Because Almost Everything Is Designed for Men.” Vox, Vox, 17 Apr. 2019, www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/17/18308466/invisible-women-pain-gender-data-gap-caroline-criado-perez.
Vouloumanos, Victoria. “Women Are Sharing Medical Procedures They’ve Had Without Anesthetics Or Pain Meds, And Why Is This So Normal.” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 26 Oct. 2021, www.buzzfeed.com/victoriavouloumanos/gynecological-procedures-without-anesthetics-or-pain-meds.