Over half of Australian women feel their pain is ignored or dismissed, report shows

Over half of women in Australia feel their pain is ignored or dismissed, a new report has shown, revealing the extent of the gender pain bias.

The report, based on a Nurofen survey of 2,040 Australian adults, revealed a national “gender pain gap” where over half (55 per cent) of women surveyed felt that they had had their pain ignored or dismissed compared to just 48 per cent of men.

It found almost a third of women (32 per cent) who felt their pain was ignored or dismissed believed this was because their GP did not take their pain seriously, compared to just one fifth of men (20 per cent).

Significantly more women than men surveyed also thought the reason they had not received a diagnosis yet for their pain or was taking longer to receive a diagnosis was due to the “gender pain gap”.

The research also showed pain is having a greater impact on women than on men. For example, for those who experience pain, 56 per cent of women report it has affected their mood in a negative way, compared with 42 per cent of men.

“Shining a light on the gender pain gap is crucial to closing it,” said Sarah White, CEO of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.

Research shows it’s taking women longer to get a diagnosis and treatment for their pain which is adversely impacting their lives. It is simply unacceptable that when some women are in pain they are not being provided the care they need when they need it, and prompt action is needed to change this.

“Now the issue has been highlighted on a national level, I am hopeful that a wider awareness and understanding will drive real change in how women’s pain is believed and treated.”

Nurofen has announced a series of commitments to help close the gap, including the launch of its “pain pass”, a free downloadable PDF tool aimed at helping people track and articulate their pain and symptoms.

Montse Pena, director of regulatory affairs and safety at Reckitt ANZ said: “I am very proud to be introducing the Nurofen Gender Pain Gap Index Report and to be putting tangible measures in place such as the pain pass to help close the gap.

“We are committed to delivering real changes that will help to improve women’s experience and treatment of pain, and welcome other organisations to join us in our mission.”