Pain in Girls is Being Dismissed

It is a common experience for young women. We have long known that women with some conditions are more likely than men to be under-treated for pain, and that doctors are more likely to dismiss reports of illness as psychosomatic when they come from women. Now, a recent study from Yale researchers shows how early this gender bias starts. The study found that when adult participants were asked to rate the perceived pain of a child receiving a finger prick to draw blood, they attributed more pain to the child they thought was a boy than they did to the child they thought was a girl.

This is from “Why Are We Still Dismissing Girls’ Pain?” an Op-Ed piece in the February 18, 2019, NY Times by Laurie Edwards. 

Also see Cell2Soul Statistics of Sexual Violence.