ABC’s Q+A Medical Misogyny Tedium

The ABC’s taxpayer-funded Q+A program has become tedious to watch. I used to really like it, but it’s become incredibly preachy of late. The latest episode is titled, “Health special: GP access, Ozempic, vapes & ‘medical misogyny’” in quotes. Even the ABC are questioning its naming, I’d suggest. Just so that we’re all on the same page, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, “Misogyny: Feelings of hating women, or the belief that men are much better than women”. According to Google (Oxford Dictionary), a misogynist is “a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women.” Somehow I doubt that’s what’s going on in Australia’s hospitals and clinics. I would argue that using such superlative and hyperbolic language is actually harming their cause, not helping, as it detracts from the real issues, but let’s run with it.

Dr Preeya Alexander, GP and author, had these words to say, “I, as a GP, will openly admit that medical misogyny exists within healthcare… There is, you know, medical misogyny within healthcare.” She continues, “We know that it’s harder for women to get diagnosed with something like endometriosis. There’s a delay of about seven years to diagnosis.” Harder for women to get diagnosed with endometriosis? I’d suggest that it’s impossible for men to get diagnosed with it as they don’t have a uterus. But I stand corrected, “Endometriosis in a Man as a Rare Source of Abdominal Pain”. The article states, “In extremely rare cases, endometriosis is also found in men with a total of 16 cases previously reported in the literature”. I’d suggest that men with endometriosis would have even a tougher time getting diagnosed, because it’s so bloody rare. Actually, according to Endometriosis News, “Endometriosis can often go undiagnosed for years in women, and it can be even more difficult to reach a diagnosis in men.” So I appreciate Dr Alexander’s concern with undiagnosed endometriosis, but clearly this is an issue of education, is it not, not misogyny? Doctors need more training with regards to identifying this condition. But labelling it “misogyny” is unhelpful.

Independent MP, Dr Monique Ryan, stated, “Medical misogyny is definitely a thing. There’s lots of intrinsic and systemic bias against women in healthcare.” Again, I question the use of the word “misogyny”. So is she saying there’s definitely hatred towards women in Australian hospitals? If she means there’s bias against women, well use that word. Don’t label something misogynistic when it’s not. Although I’d question even her claims of systemic bias.

According to Health Staff Recruitment, ‘Now More Female GPs than Male GPs in Australia. Women made up 50.2% of members of the RACGP”. According to the Royal Australian College of GPs 2023 Health of the Nation report, 61% of GPs in training are women. They state, “In the future, it is likely the discrepancy between male and female GPs in training will result in females making up a larger proportion of the GP workforce, which may have implications for general practice workforce capacity.”

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Health workforce report, in 2022, there were 512,000 females and 177,000 males registered and employed in Australia’s health workforce, that’s 74% females. 54% of Dental Practitioners were female. For an industry that allegedly has a systemic hatred of females, they sure do employ a lot of them.

If medical misogyny is real as Dr Ryan suggests, then surely female patients who have a misogynistic male doctor treating them can easily find a female one instead. Or is Dr Ryan suggesting that even female doctors are misogynistic, or somehow the system is misogynistic? Although she did note, “It’s not just medical misogyny. Sometimes it’s just the fact that the GPs are trying to get through their consult in 15 minutes so they can pay the bills.” Okay, that’s a real problem. Let’s address that instead of labelling everything as a symptom of misogyny.

And saving the best till last, Health Minister Mark Butler. What did he have to say about medical misogyny? “Some of the stories I’ve heard around young women and women 20, 30 years, not getting a diagnosis are just appalling. They’re just appalling. And, you know, we weak men could not put up with that sort of pain…” Speak for yourself, buddy. And what’s he trying to do here? Does he think by putting down men, then that will somehow uplift women? Actually, that’s really patronising to women, acting as if only women can put up with pain.

Just to be clear, I’m not trying to dismiss women’s experiences, but let’s not label poor medical treatment as misogyny when it clearly isn’t. As I said before, using such hyperbolic language is actually harming their cause, not helping, as it detracts from the actual issues. By blaming men, it’s just alienating half the population.

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Allégro by Emmit Fenn