The issue of gender bias in healthcare is enduring and has significant consequences for both patient outcomes and the efficient provision of treatment. Gender prejudice in the NHS takes many different forms and has an impact on patient care quality as well as access to healthcare.
One important component of gender prejudice is the differential access to services based on gender. According to a study done by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), women are less likely than men to be sent for rehabilitation following a heart attack, despite having similar clinical characteristics (Mathews & Brewer, 2021). The discrepancy in the way cardiovascular treatment is provided may be a factor in women's less favourable outcomes.
Disparity in healthcare is evident in reproductive health. Biases against women's reproductive choices and concerns are common. In an inquiry, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) found that women's pain is frequently disregarded (UK Government, 2023), which causes inadequate pain management and delayed diagnoses. Furthermore, women from marginalised backgrounds are disproportionately affected by socioeconomic issues that impact their access to reproductive healthcare services and fertility treatments.
The workforce in healthcare is not exempt from gender discrimination. Even though women make up a significant proportion of NHS workers, there is still a significant gender disparity in leadership positions; women are underrepresented in senior management and clinical leadership posts, according to NHS Workforce Statistics (NHS Digital, 2018). This underrepresentation may influence decisions that are made that may not fully consider gender-specific healthcare needs.
Gender bias in the NHS healthcare system is a complex problem with numerous implications. A comprehensive strategy combining policy changes, educational programmes and increased awareness is required to combat this issue. To guarantee that everyone has fair access to services and receives high-quality treatment, efforts should be taken to eradicate prejudices and stereotypes from the healthcare system. The NHS may get closer to its objective of providing healthcare that is genuinely inclusive and sensitive to the varied needs of its patient population by acknowledging and resolving gender bias.
References
1. Mathews, L. and Brewer, L.C. (2021) ‘A review of disparities in cardiac rehabilitation’, Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 41(6), pp. 375–382. doi:10.1097/hcr.0000000000000659.
2. UK Government (2023) (RCOG) [WRH0056] written evidence from Royal College of Obstetricians ..., RCOG response to the Women and Equalities’ Select Committee Inquiry into reproductive health. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/124972/pdf/ (Accessed: 31 January 2024).
3. NHS Digital (2018) Narrowing of NHS gender divide but men still the majority in senior roles, NHS choices. Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/news/2018/narrowing-of-nhs-gender-divide-but-men-still-the-majority-in-senior-roles (Accessed: 31 January 2024).
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