Would you call yourself a feminist? The fight against medical misogyny

Would you call yourself a feminist? I grew up in a context where ‘feminist’ was a dirty word, for women who hated men and didn’t look after their appearance. It wasn’t until my late 20s that I embraced it as a term that meant being part of the fight for gender equality. And working in health care policy, I see even more the need to talk about protecting and advancing women’s rights. 

The recent interim maternity review findings were a shocking, if not surprising, example of this. Failures to support women in labour, failures of compassion when babies died, failures of communication when things go wrong. Baroness Amos has not yet finished her investigation, but it seems likely that medical misogyny – the systemic bias and prejudice women face in health care systems – is at the root of some of these issues. 

Indeed, the impact of medical misogyny on women’s reproductive health and care was highlighted just over a year ago, by the parliamentary women and equalities committee report (which specifically didn’t explore maternity due to the ongoing review). The stories were again harrowing – of women told to ‘suck it up’ or that they are overly dramatic about pain, or made to feel they are making ‘a fuss about nothing’ when they have serious, treatable gynaecological symptoms; of health care staff with a lack of awareness, relying on assumptions that mean women’s suffering is dismissed – for example many people with endometriosis symptoms having multiple GP appointments before receiving their diagnosis. 

And in both these reports misogyny also intersects with racism. The women and equalities committee report found Black and South Asian women faced additional barriers relating to reproductive health conditions, and the interim maternity review shared evidence of racism and discrimination experienced by women and families and by staff. The intersection of misogyny and racism faced by Black women is noted so frequently in many areas that it has been given a specific name: misogynoir. 

Misogyny isn’t only a health service problem. Systematic bias and prejudice are still writ large in the UK. This is visible in both higher rates of poverty in specific groups, and that women are more likely to be in low-paid, insecure work. But we also know that people in poverty find it harder to live healthy lives and harder to access NHS services meaning they live with greater illness: misogyny in wider society can add to the pressures that health services face. 

Misogyny is not a new issue. Despite significant progress over decades, we have not eradicated misogyny and its effects show up everywhere. Globally, we live in a context where the rights of women and girls are coming under increasing attack – and this includes trans women, who also experience misogyny, sometimes called trans misogyny. Despite this, in the UK, recent polling highlighted that almost one in four adults believe progress on gender equality is bad for men. So, it’s important that we explain how misogyny harms women, and find ways to address it. 

In the NHS, medical misogyny clearly needs attention. And yet it can feel like an odd claim in a context where over three-quarters (76%) of NHS staff in England are women. Indeed, women also play a wider essential role in delivering health and care – making up the majority of unpaid carers (60%). It can be uncomfortable to realise that as women, we can be complicit in misogyny as well as its victims. This might be in upholding gendered norms while providing care like not believing women when they say something is wrong, dismissing symptoms as 'stress' or 'hormones' or normalising period pain perhaps because you have experienced painful periods. Each time a woman is not listened to is another brick in the wall of medical misogyny.  

While we are waiting on a renewed women’s health strategy, there is much we can do. One opportunity for action is medical training. How might medical educators keep up with new research, question outdated practices, and adapt their teaching rather than reinforcing the same old patterns?  

Thinking wider, everyone – of all genders – needs to see it as an issue we should influence. The idea of a feminist killjoy was coined by Sara Ahmed as someone who refuses to accept the ‘joke’ and will actively challenge sexism, racism and other forms of oppression. This resonates with me, but even if you feel less confident to make a direct challenge, then acting in other ways is a good start – supporting those at the sharp end of misogyny, working to ensure your workplace has good policies for gender equity, and looking at your own attitudes and behaviours towards women.

The theme of International Women’s Day this year is ‘give to gain’, reflecting the importance of solidarity and contribution: ‘we can all give our support to gain advancement for women and girls.’ To do this, we all need to recognise our own role in tackling misogyny and in fighting for gender equality – whether in our workplaces or our daily lives. (Shout out here to the several colleagues of all genders who encouraged me to write this blog, provided constructive critique and got it edited and out into the world – solidarity in action).  

So, could you call yourself a feminist?