Gender Bias in Healthcare

There is a stark gender bias in healthcare in Australia which has just been confirmed by a 2024 report conducted by the National Women’s Health Advisory Council.

The #EndGenderBias survey collated responses from Australian women, health professionals, researchers, and consumer advocates about their experiences with gender bias and barriers within the health system.

This knowledge isn’t new, nor has it gone unnoticed. As a woman reading this you may know it personally. But it has now been officially recognised and the findings are concerning:

• Healthcare-related gender bias or discrimination was reported by two-thirds of women.

• Bias in diagnosis and treatment of health conditions was experienced by 70% of women.

• Many stakeholders believed women were often not taken seriously, or believed regarding a health issue

• Many women found healthcare unaffordable or inaccessible

Why? Women have been overlooked in research and as a result, the differences between men and women’s physiology, mental and emotional wellbeing, have been missed or ignored.

Gender bias in healthcare can lead to poorer health outcomes for women, delayed diagnoses, and limited treatment options.

Time for change! Our aim is to be part of that change, even if it is a small part in a larger shift in consciousness, supporting the women we work with. Making a positive difference to women’s health and wellbeing…this is why we do what we do!