Women 'get worse heart treatment than men': medical sexism. - Women reporting the same symptoms as men are taken less seriously by doctors.

Extract from a Telegraph health article which appeared on 14th November 2007 but for which I can no longer find a link:

"Women with heart problems are less likely to receive as good treatment and examinations as men, a study has found.

Fewer female heart patients receive effective medication to improve their health and reduce their chances of dying from their condition, an analysis of data collected by the Healthcare Commission shows.

Women admitted to hospital with heart failure were also significantly less likely to have received the most effective tests to diagnose their condition."

This has long been known... - In 1973 researchers, Lennane and Lennane, wrote a seminal paper on medical sexism - about how when women reported physical symptoms of potentially serious health conditions they were less likely to be physically examined, tested and treated, than men reporting the same symptoms, because doctors had a stereotypical negative view of women patients and tended to regard women's symptoms as psychogenic, rather than physical. There have been many similar research research findings since then, and some medical schools have special elements - lectures from psychologists - in their courses to try to eliminate this sexism, which is so damaging to women patients. - Unfortunately the sexism continues...)o: - It is even present in this Healthcare Commission report itself! since they seem to want to lay the responsibility on the women patients, rather than on the doctors who are actually responsible: "Researchers, whose study is published in the journal Heart, are not sure why women with heart problems appear to be having a raw deal, but said part of the reason might be differences in the way they describe their symptoms to GPs."

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Is feminism bad for your health?

Warning: feminism is bad for your health

Extract:

"Since before Germaine Greer published The Female Eunuch in 1970, and even before Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792, campaigners have fought for sexual equality, convinced it is the key to a better society. Now researchers have discovered that gender equality may make people unwell.

Researchers in Sweden, arguably one of the most egalitarian countries in the world, have found that equality could be associated with poorer health for both men and women.

In the study, published in Social Science and Medicine, the researchers compared data from all of Sweden's 290 municipalities. They used nine indicators of equality in both the private and public sectors, ranging from the proportion of men and women in management jobs to average income. These were related to local life expectancy, disability and absence from work through illness.

The results showed a strong link between gender equality and levels of sickness and disability for both men and women. One of the findings was that equal financial resources between the sexes was associated with higher levels of sickness and disability."

In my opinion, the greatest avoidable risk to women's health is the widespread sexist attitude of health professionals, mainly doctors. Far too many doctors - the majority, I believe - tend to stereotype women patients as people who exaggerate their pain, and when a woman presents with physical symptoms, these doctors tend to look for a psychogenic explanation rather than rigorously examining for the physical cause of the symptoms. - There is an excellent article about this (Lennane and Lennane, "Alleged Psychogenic Disorders in Women") which, although written in 1973, is still largely true today. The article is included in various books, including "The Changing Experience of Women", Open University Press.