ABSTRACT:

The perception of pain varies between men and women, encompassing differences in expression, coping strategies, and treatment responses. Biological factors, including genetics and hormones, play pivotal roles in sex-specific pain mediation, influencing women’s pain responses across different life stages. Menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and oral contraceptive use further highlight the impact of hormones on pain experience. Psychosocial factors, rooted in gender norms, contribute to disparities in pain reporting. From an early age, societal expectations shape how individuals, based on their gender, express and tolerate pain. Healthcare providers often carry these biases into clinical settings, where studies reveal tendencies to perceive women as more likely to exaggerate pain and less likely to receive aggressive treatment. These biases extend to treatment recommendations, with male patients receiving less psychosocial assessment and women being less likely to obtain aggressive analgesic treatment. Addressing these gender-related expectations is crucial in mitigating medical biases, ensuring equitable pain assessment, and promoting tailored pain management strategies. Hence The primary objective of this research is to assess how these differences in pain perception lead to biases in a clinical setting catering to misdiagnosis or sheer medical neglect and to suggest policies and strategies to remedy the same. This is going to be done through an analysis and review of literature and studies pertaining to this area of study. This will be done by inspecting and analyzing studies conducted over the past decade.

Aim: To suggest remedies to battle gender-related biases within clinical settings that stem from gendered differences in pain perception

AUTHORED BY:

Riddhi Tiwari is a TYBA student at Sophia College (Autonomous) studying Psychology

EDITED BY:

Charu Pawar is a 3rd-year student at Lady Shri Ram College, studying Political Science

Falguni Mahajan is a Political Science graduate from Lady Shri Ram College and the Founder of Mandonna

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