A survey carried out by the French Hospital Federation (FHF) and Ipsos bva on women’s health highlights a worrying paradox: those who are most concerned with the health of other members of their family are reduced to neglecting their own, in particular by not systematically carrying out the recommended screenings. At the same time, gender bias in medical care persists, with significant minimization of women’s pain.
The “health burden” of the home, this invisible burden
In French households, health management falls primarily on women. 92% of them say they take charge, alone, of at least one of the tasks related to the health of family members : making medical appointments, managing treatments or accompanying consultations. 74% of women carry out these three missions alone, without the help of their partner.
This responsibility is not without consequences: nearly 6 in 10 women say that this burden has a negative impact on their well-being and psychological balance, a proportion which reaches 78% among mothers under 30 years old.
By managing the health of the whole family, women relegate their own medical care to the background. Nearly 6 out of 10 women do not systematically carry out their gynecological check-up examination, when it is recommended, a proportion which reaches 8 out of 10 women under 30 years old.
For more specific examinations – cervical smear, organized breast cancer screening test or mammogram – the recommendations are followed more closely. However, almost a quarter of women say they never or rarely carry out the suggested screenings. Here again, the youngest are clearly behind.
These results highlight persistent difficulties in prevention. The reasons given to explain the non-use of screenings are multiple: negligence (29%), the feeling of not being concerned (27%), difficulty in obtaining an appointment (26%), lack of time (18%) or even fear of diagnosis (12%).
Sexist bias and pressure
A double penalty weighs on women victims of pain: to their suffering is added the necessity of having to prove that they are suffering. More than two in five women say they have already experienced a minimization or trivialization of their pain by a healthcare professional, because they were a woman (43%). A reality particularly experienced by women under 30 (69%). In this context, almost a third of women indicate that they have already been faced with a refusal of painkillers or anesthesia, or insufficient treatment given the intensity of their pain.
Gynecological consultations also sometimes remain marked by problematic practices. A third of women say they have already experienced a situation where their consent was not fully respected during a gynecological examination. Whether it is a non-consensual gesture, a lack of information, insufficient respect for privacy, or the unannounced presence of a third party during the examination. In total, more than one in ten women even say they have already wanted to interrupt a gynecological examination without being able to express it at the time.
Above all, beyond pain management, some women also report having been pressured regarding their personal choices. Thus, 7% of the women questioned say they have already been pressured by a health professional to continue or terminate a pregnancy against their will. Furthermore, 14% indicate having already felt pressure to start, continue or stop contraception against their will.
These situations are a reminder that women’s autonomy in their choices regarding reproductive health, although protected by law, is not always fully respected. Women’s bodies remain a space of normative pressures and injunctions, whether it concerns motherhood, contraception or appearance.
A deficit of listening and information
The feeling of not being listened to sufficiently by health professionals accompanies some women at different stages of their lives.particularly at puberty, after pregnancy or at the time of menopause. In particular, reproductive health remains a blind spot: only nearly 3 out of 10 women say they have received, during their life, information on at least one of the following subjects: the evolution of fertility with age, the recommended times for consultation in the event of difficulty conceiving, the PMA pathways, the signs that may indicate a fertility problem or even the possibilities for preserving fertility.
Chiffres clés de l’enquête
-92 % des femmes prennent en charge seules au moins une tâche liée à la santé du foyer
-59 % estiment que cette charge sanitaire a un impact négatif sur leur bien-être et leur équilibre psychologique.
-63 % ne réalisent pas systématiquement leur examen de contrôle gynécologique (80 % chez les moins de 30 ans).
-43 % ont déjà vu leur douleur minimisée ou banalisée par un professionnel de santé.
-7 % / 14 % ont déjà subi des pressions concernant leurs choix reproductifs : 7 % sur une grossesse, 14 % sur la contraception.
