Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 15 June 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed and challenged almost all aspects of life, but its impact has not been felt equally across the population. Women have been more adversely impacted, and pre-existing inequalities have been exposed and exacerbated. Let us be clear: women’s health is not just a women’s issue. When women are supported to lead healthy lives and fulfil their potential, everyone benefits. The majority of unpaid carers are women, women make up the majority of the health and social care workforce, and the vast majority of lone parents are women. The challenges of balancing childcare, paid work and caring responsibilities with the stresses and uncertainties of the pandemic will have been truly daunting for many women and will undoubtedly have affected their health.
Still, the inequality that women face throughout their lives existed long before Covid. In Caroline Criado Perez’s thought-provoking book “Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men”, she says so much in a few words. She says that women are not, to state the obvious, just men. She goes on to explain:
“Historically it’s been assumed that there wasn’t anything fundamentally different between male and female bodies other than size and reproductive function, and so for years medical education has been focused on a male ‘norm’, with everything that falls outside that designated ‘atypical’ or even ‘abnormal’.”
Let us look at abnormal. Women are more likely to experience violence, to live in poverty, to live alone, particularly in older age, and to care for others, all of which contribute to poorer mental health. Throughout this year, we have invested £6 million to support mental health. It is vital that we consider women’s specific mental health needs. In October 2020, we launched the mental health transition and recovery plan, which specifically prioritises women’s and girls’ mental health. We are working with our equalities forum to deliver a programme of work to address the challenges arising from the pandemic.
Women live longer than men and make up a larger portion of the older age population. Women are more likely to spend more time in ill-health, yet they do not always receive equal healthcare. Their physical health and mental health are compromised every day by systems that do not yet fully meet their needs. Health outcomes for women are poorer than those for men in important areas, such as heart health. Women who are having heart attacks are often said to have an “atypical presentation”. That language shines a light on a very important issue: women are not atypical men; they are women, and the way that women present is normal for women. That lack of recognition is then followed by the fact that, as studies have shown, women are less likely to be prescribed drugs that reduce the chance of a second heart attack. The British Heart Foundation has highlighted inequalities at every stage of a women’s medical journey. Such health inequalities are unjust and preventable.
Let us talk about endometriosis. One in 10 women in Scotland has endometriosis, making it as common as diabetes and asthma, yet we know that women are waiting far too long for a diagnosis. We are therefore listening to women to understand the barriers that they face to achieving a diagnosis so that we can make progress as quickly as possible. We are also ensuring that women’s individual needs are met throughout their treatment.
Let us talk about menopause. Women are frustrated that information about menstrual health and menopause is unreliable and inaccessible. Many women feel unprepared for the impact that the menopause can have on their life and feel unsupported to manage the symptoms. We are working to raise awareness of the symptoms of menopause and to ensure that all women receive the support and care that they need to sustain their health and wellbeing.
Those reasons, along with many others, are why, in the first 100 days of the new session of the Parliament, we will publish a women’s health plan, which will reduce avoidable inequalities in health outcomes for women throughout their lives. Women’s voices and experiences will be central to its development and implementation. Alongside the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, we have already conducted a women’s health survey and spoken directly to women. We want to give women a say in how we shape services for the future, and it is absolutely crucial that we listen to, and trust, women.