This text is part of the special Feminine Leadership notebook
Gender bias is still very present among the medical profession, summarizes Valérie Bidégaré, author of the essay. It’s in your head. “Unfortunately, even today, it affects the way women are greeted in the doctor’s office, the diagnosis and the treatment they receive. »
This reality has been the subject of several studies, observes Shannon Ruzycki, assistant professor and vice-president of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the Department of Medicine at the School. of Medicine Cumming from the University of Calgary. “Women and sexual minority patients experience barriers to care that are different from those [des patients] male,” she notes. The professor cites as an example a study published in 2014 in the Journal of the American Heart Association which concludes that women who undergo open heart surgery have more complications related to wounds generated by the procedure. A situation which would be linked to the mental load of patients. “Researchers found that people who had a caregiving role and took on more household responsibilities had more wound complications, and these tended to be women. » The observation was also identical among male patients with more responsibilities in terms of care, adds M.me Ruzycki.
Other gender-related factors — such as marital status, social support and income — have also been suggested in a recent McGill University study to explain that young women with acute coronary syndrome have lower health-related quality of life than young men suffering from the same syndrome.
But the health problems that women encounter can also be explained by the prejudices to which they may be victims from doctors. “Female patients who present with the same radiographic findings and the same pain due to knee osteoarthritis are much less often referred for orthopedic surgery than male patients with exactly the same problems,” raises Shannon Ruzycki in reference to a study published in 2008 in the Canadian MedicalAssociation Journal. In 2021, Medical News Today has also published a report on gender bias in health, based on several university researches.
Last week, a study commissioned by the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Quebec (AOGQ) revealed that certain medical procedures performed on women are less well paid than when they are performed on men. “All of this suggests that the healthcare system is biased in how doctors view men and women […]. Several factors combine to create disadvantages for patients,” adds Shannon Ruzycki.
More female doctors, but still biases
While women make up 55% of the medical profession in Quebec, according to the College of Physicians, how can we explain the persistence of such biases based on gender? The specialists with whom M spokeme Bidégaré in the context of his essay replied that “it is not because you are a woman that you are necessarily more empathetic towards the female sex”.
The DD Ruzycki agrees. “It’s a common misconception that women can’t be sexist,” she sums up. Certain social biases are also anchored during the training of future practitioners, she adds.
Consequences for patients
Gender bias is not without consequences for women’s health. Some patients are even put off by the idea of going to see a doctor, says Valérie Bidégaré. “Often, women will unfortunately endure and suffer for years. In some cases, they will never have treatment because they will not return to consult,” illustrates the author.
For its part, the DD Ruzycki cites the case of endometriosis, this inflammatory disease which results in the development of tissue similar to the uterine lining outside the uterus, causing pelvic pain and difficulty getting pregnant. “It causes a lot of absenteeism from work, school, and unexplained symptoms,” observes the doctor.
However, the funds allocated to studies on this disorder are less than those supporting research on erectile dysfunction. “Men don’t miss work days or suffer monthly due to erectile dysfunction. That’s not to say it’s not an important issue. But, when we look at variations in research funding, drug development, advertisements, empathy, and awareness of these two issues, we can see that how we value people leads to a real difference in investments,” underlines the DD Ruzycki.
Less biased medicine
For the doctor, fighting against gender bias in medicine begins with raising awareness and training caregivers to face biases that may be unconscious. She also wants health policymakers to review the funding differences between studies of women’s and men’s diseases.
The fact that the subject has been discussed several times in the media, notably by public figures, and that research is looking into this question is already a first step, believes Valérie Bidégaré. She cites, among other things, the Loto-Méno initiative, launched by Véronique Cloutier, on the lack of care for women in menopause.
The College of Physicians also offers training to its members in order to raise their awareness, among other things, of medical sexism. “Doctors must take the woman’s body into consideration […]. There it is, the heart of the problem,” concludes M.me Bidégaré.
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