Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution

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Illnesses that typically only affect women (as well as trans men and non-binary people), such as endometriosis and other gynaecological health issues, are typically under-researched.

Public spaces in Indian cities are not just an agglomeration of buildings but are entwined with complex social processes. The spatial compositions embody different aspirations, needs of people and actions that override what might be the permissible use of space to a more everyday or desired use of space. This ensemble of needs and collectively shaped areas is often read as civic disobedience, violation, and informality and it is opposed even if it contributes to vitality, activation, active frontages or safety. Absolutely, and one of the things I say in the book is that it's never your fault if you don't receive the healthcare you should - no matter how much or how little you're able to advocate for yourself. But this is absolutely an intersectional issue as well; different layers of privilege and oppression mean that some people will feel more able to advocate for themselves than others, and some people will be taken more seriously or face fewer barriers than others.Crucial reading for us all'StylistAn inclusive and empowering manifesto for change in women's healthcare - exploring the systemic and deep rooted sexism within medicine, and offering actionable ways for women to advocate for ourselves and others and get the diagnosis and treatment we need. Have you ever been to a doctor and felt like you were being fobbed off or ignored? On the one hand, you’ve got the idea of bodies that are unruly and disruptive, or inherently broken and unmanageable. That goes beyond just ‘hysterical women’. Yes, it’s about female bodies with ‘wandering wombs’ and complicated hormones, but it’s also about trans and queer bodies that confound what society once thought it knew about sex, gender and sexuality; bodies of colour that have historically been used, abused and neglected by medical science, and which aren’t represented by any of the medical textbooks; disabled bodies that can’t simply be ‘fixed’, which are let down by our inaccessible world. Basically, any body that medicine doesn’t know what to do with because it doesn’t fit the cis, white, able-bodied male default that healthcare’s forever been designed around.

One of those is the inequality that women suffer from when it comes to getting the diagnosis, treatment and medicine they need compared to issues around men’s health. Freelance journalist Sarah Graham has decided to explore this gender health gap issue in her book, Rebel Bodies. We caught up with her to talk about why she felt it’s an important issue to write about, her blog which began to explore the idea and her advice to anyone looking to make it as a freelance journalist. We need to rethink the medical model that still too often views textbook knowledge as fixed, infallible and in conflict with patients’ own intimate knowledge of themselves The Forum Network is a space for experts and thought leaders—from around the world and all parts of society— to discuss and develop solutions now and for the future. It aims to foster the fruitful exchange of expertise and perspectives across fields, and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the OECD. In Rebel Bodies, health journalist Sarah Graham investigates the gender health gap and women’s struggles to be taken seriously with physical or mental illness in the face of pervasive and insidious sexism.SARAH: The original working title was Hysterical Women, like the blog, but I really wanted a title that went a bit further – because the book goes further than the blog. Rebel Bodies came out of a brainstorm with my editor and my agent, and I loved it immediately. I’ve always really liked the word ‘rebel’ anyway – my first feminist role model growing up was Princess Leia – and I felt like Rebel Bodies really captured the two sides to the book. What Sarah has achieved with Rebel Bodies is remarkable. The depth and breadth of the topics she's explored and highlighted through real life accounts is impressive and important * Maisie Hill, author of Period Power *

Have you ever been to a doctor and felt like you were being fobbed off or ignored? Did they belittle or overlook your concerns about your health? Ever been told you're just 'hormonal'? You're not alone.Women make up 51 per cent of the population and are the biggest users of healthcare services – for themselves and as mothers and carers. But all the research shows there are massive gender differences in men and women’s healthcare. Our pain and suffering has been disbelieved; we are misdiagnosed, given tranquilisers when we need painkillers, antidepressants when we need HRT, and not trusted to make informed choices about our own bodies. An inclusive and empowering manifesto for change in women’s healthcare – exploring the systemic and deep rooted sexism within medicine, and offering actionable ways for women to advocate for ourselves and others and get the diagnosis and treatment we need. It’s no coincidence that chronic illnesses – which are massively misunderstood, with the person seeking a diagnosis often treated like they’re making it up – occur mostly in women. At the most fundamental level, we need a properly functioning health service. That requires funding for necessary equipment and infrastructure, but above all it requires people – well- trained, compassionate, skilled people and plenty of them. Adequate staffing levels are essential for patient safety and we urgently need investment, not just in recruiting more doctors, nurses, midwives and support staff, but also ensuring they’re well enough paid and supported to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, and to keep them in those roles long-term. You’ve put a helpful toolkit at the end of each chapter to help readers begin to advocate for themselves, but is there any general advice you’d give to someone worried about their healthcare?

SARAH: The great thing about the gender health gap revolution is that it’s already underway, and there are lots of existing campaigns, advocacy groups and charities featured in the book that people can get involved with or draw inspiration from. The government has also published its first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England, and there are similar plans afoot in Scotland and Wales, so it’s really important we held our politicians accountable for those promises and ensure they see them through. But Rebel Bodies is not only about ME, there are so many other issues, illnesses and chronic conditions that are hard to cope with, and having distress over distrust, gaslighting, and more misery from healthcare practitioners on top of it - not only the gender pain gap, but also the gender trust gap. Our pain and suffering has been disbelieved; we are misdiagnosed, given tranquilisers when we need painkillers, antidepressants when we need HRT, and not trusted to make informed choices about our own bodies. As women speak out about their experiences of gaslighting and misdiagnosis, health journalist Sarah Graham investigates what it will take to bridge the gender health gap.Have you ever been to a doctor and felt like you were being fobbed off or ignored? Did they belittle or overlook your concerns about your health? Ever been told you’re just ‘hormonal’? You’re not alone.