As I continue to dive into the communication and gender course offered at James Madison University, my concern for women and their advocacy grows more and more. I’ve quickly learned that with my age, my body, mind, and overall well-being have changed a significant amount. I’ve consequently learned that this is something that can be confusing to navigate at times, but why is it so much more confusing to understand because I’m a woman, not a man?
Imagine being told it’s probably just stress when you visit the doctor with actual, ongoing symptoms like pain, exhaustion, discomfort, nervousness, or hormone concerns. This is real for a lot of women. To me, this signifies a pattern. Additionally, it highlights a medical system that has long viewed the male body as the default, which goes beyond individual misunderstandings.
Modern medicine takes great pleasure in its impartiality and science, but traditionally, a large portion of that “science” has been centered around men. For many years, the majority of volunteers in clinical trials were men because it was assumed that the findings would apply to women as well. Because of women’s unique reproductive systems and hormonal cycles, female bodies were sometimes viewed as “too complex” to incorporate. As a result, male physiology frequently determines what is deemed “normal,” and anything that deviates from this can be misinterpreted or disregarded.
Many cases come to mind when I dive into my thoughts on this situation, such as how much more difficult it is for women to be diagnosed with ADHD than it is for men, or how women experience heart attacks much differently than men do. Sharp chest pain and pain extending down the left arm are common symptoms that are mostly associated with men. However, milder symptoms like nausea, trouble breathing, or back discomfort are more common in women. Women are more likely to receive an incorrect diagnosis or put off seeking medical attention entirely since these symptoms don’t fit the “standard.”
Commonly misdiagnosed conditions in women (just to name a few):
- Heart attacks
- Autism
- ADHD
- Depression
- Endometriosis
The problem goes much beyond emergencies. It might take years to diagnose chronic disorders like autoimmune diseases, which disproportionately impact women. Many times, patients are informed that their health issues are psychological rather than physical. In these situations, medical judgment is subtly influenced by gender bias and outdated presumptions. Men who describe identical symptoms are more likely to be taken at face value, whereas women are more likely to be classified as “emotional” or “overreacting.”
My inspiration for this post stemmed from a lesson my professor gave in my SCOM 348 class (Communication and Gender) about gaslighting in women’s healthcare. Maria Garcia visited her providers for four years, yet, appointment after appointment, she was turned away. “Her providers told her there wasn’t anything wrong and that she simply needed to lose weight,” said Today News. Garcia admitted she recalled feeling crazy at times and thought maybe it was all in her head after all. But when her symptoms became increasingly severe, from vomiting to significant hair loss, Garcia was taken to the emergency room. ER staff found a 25-pound cancerous tumor growing in her ovary.
Maria Garcia’s reflection following her eventual diagnosis highlights the emotional impact of this situation. “I think being an overweight Hispanic woman was to my detriment,” she explained, describing a mixture of rage and relief. Her remarks suggest a deeper issue than a single bad doctor’s appointment. They demonstrate how many identities—such as gender, race, and body size—intersect to influence how patients are viewed and cared for.
Garcia’s story broadens the issue beyond gender from a feminist standpoint. It demonstrates that, in addition to being male, the “default patient” in medicine is frequently implicitly white and thin. Accurate diagnosis becomes considerably more challenging for anyone who deviates from the norm. Her story demonstrates that the issue is not only that women are disregarded; rather, specific women are routinely disregarded more frequently than others.