When people think of feminism, oftentimes, we think of fighting for women’s rights. But when asked what feminism means in 2025, most people can’t answer. Besides the fight for abortion rights, women have all of the same fundamental freedoms as the average man. Under the law, women have access to education, equal pay (despite the gender pay gap still existing), and the ability to open their own bank accounts, all of which were fought for back in the 1970s. Therefore, most people can’t think of what issues still need discussion. In 2025, feminism has become less about fighting for women’s rights and more about equal respect in social settings and the workplace. The healthcare field is no exception, and both female patients and healthcare workers alike experience this kind of inequality often.
Patient’s Perspective
One example from a patient’s perspective is “The Pain Gap.” Many women are often assumed to be in less pain, or their pain is taken less seriously than a man’s.1 A woman’s pain is often thought to be due to anxiety, hysteria, or something else psychosomatic. For instance, extreme pain due to menstruation is often dismissed as usual when there could easily be an underlying cause, such as endometriosis or PCOS.2
Another notable factor for women’s health is the lack of research on our bodies. For the longest time, it was thought that the cervix has little to no nerve endings, so when it came to medical procedures such as IUD insertions, no anesthetics or pain medications were used.3 This has since been proven false, and IUD insertions are still commonly known to be extremely painful. So, what is our solution with access to modern research and medicine? Women are told: “Just take a couple of Ibuprofen, and it’ll be fine.” Meanwhile, for vasectomies, a local anesthetic has always been used to reduce the pain significantly.
In addition, when a birth control pill for men was created, the trials were terminated due to mild headaches being a side effect. Women’s birth control, on the other hand, has a laundry list of side effects and even comes with a sheet of warnings that is literally multiple feet long.
Healthcare worker’s Perspective
From the healthcare worker’s perspective, women are still treated inadequately. For instance, many female physicians who have worked decades for their degrees are often assumed to have another healthcare profession and are undervalued. After introducing themselves as doctors, it isn’t uncommon to still be called pet names, their first names, or even assumed to be nurses. Patients even ask for a “more qualified” male physician despite their doctor completing the same educational qualifications as their male counterparts. It has even been shown that female physicians are more likely to perform successful medical procedures, resulting in fewer post-op complications and decreasing the risk of death, despite being looked down upon in the professional setting.4 Overall, 66-80% of female healthcare workers have experienced sexism in the workplace at some point, which is absolutely ridiculous.5
Whether it’s a patient’s pain being dismissed due to their gender or health care workers not being treated the same as their male colleagues, there are clearly significant societal issues based on sex. Even if we focus more on equal and respectful treatment than equal rights, feminism is still just as important today as it was in the 1960s-70s, especially in healthcare.
References:‌
Griffin, Michelle. “The Gender Pain Gap: Why It’s Time to Take Women’s Health More Seriously.” Www.sciencefocus.com, 7 Dec. 2023, www.sciencefocus.com/comment/gender-pain-gap.
Hudson, Nicky. “The Missed Disease? Endometriosis as an Example of “Undone Science.”” Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, vol. 14, no. 14, Mar. 2022, pp. 20–27, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8517707/, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbms.2021.07.003.
Komisaruk, Barry, and MarĂa Cruz RodrĂguez del Cerro. “The Cervix Is Sensitive, and Surgeons Need to Acknowledge the Part It Plays in Some Women’s Pleasure.” The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2020, theconversation.com/the-cervix-is-sensitive-and-surgeons-need-to-acknowledge-the-part-it-plays-in-some-womens-pleasure-131618.
Ghouaibi, Amira, and World Economic Forum. “Surgery Is More Successful with Female Surgeons, Studies Find.” World Economic Forum, 18 Sept. 2023, www.weforum.org/stories/2023/09/female-surgeons-better-health-outcome-gender-inequality/.
Hennein, Rachel, et al. “Gender Discrimination among Women Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a Mixed Methods Study.” PLoS ONE, vol. 18, no. 2, 6 Feb. 2023, p. E0281367, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9901797/, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281367.