Friday, October 25, 2013

On Adios Barbie: Gender Bias in Chronic Pain Treatment

Now live on AdiosBarbie.com:
As a woman 3 ½ years into a constant, severe headache, I think, talk, and read a great deal about pain. I also think, talk, and read a great deal about gender. Strangely enough, it took me a long time to think and talk about the two issues together -- how they intersect, interact, and influence each other. Before I attended the 6th Annual Women In Pain Conference this September, most of the exchanges I had relating to the experience of being a woman in pain involved modestly deflecting offhand comments from (female) friends to the effect that my (male) partner probably wouldn’t be dealing with my chronic pain condition half as well as I am. But in the weeks both preparing for and following the conference, I made it my mission to discover just how large of a role gender plays in the experience, expression, and treatment of pain.
Read more on Adios Barbie...