Att förstå The Gender Pain Gap : Hur genusbias påverkar vårdprocessen för personer med långvarig smärta inom primärvården.

Sammanfattning

There are significant differences between genders in prevalence, assessment and treatment of chronic pain that cannot be explained by biological factors, constituting a Gender Pain Gap that requires explanation. This study examines how gender bias manifests in the healthcare process for people with chronic pain in primary care. It is likely the first comprehensive investigation of this kind, since it begins by analysing the structural mechanisms of the healthcare system itself and then demonstrates how gender bias emerges within it. To answer the research questions, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with women, men, a transgender man and a nonbinary person living with chronic pain. The results were analysed using theories such as The bureaucracy of pain, Parson's sick- and therapeutic roles and Hegemonic Masculinity. The study shows that people with chronic pain navigate a care system I named “The Fragmented Care Circus”. This fragmentation limits access, continuity and legitimacy, increasing the risk being labelled as untrustworthy or attention-seeking. Gender stereotypes shaped access to care. Men were often viewed as more legitimate patients, while women risked being perceived as over-seeking care despite experiencing pain more often. Women, trans and nonbinary participants also faced additional barriers to having their pain taken seriously, as their access to care was influenced by how they were able to present themselves during appointments. Finally, applying a gender perspective made it possible to examine whether The Fragmented Care Circus is partly produced by institutionalised gender bias, given that chronic pain is a women-dominated condition situated within a healthcare system shaped by norms of hegemonic masculinity. The healthcare process itself may therefore contribute to the Gender Pain Gap.