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Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag has been critically acclaimed for its emotional depth, witty humour, and cultural impact. But it is the monologue made by Dame Kristin Scott Thomas during the show that has stuck out as a poignant statement on womanhood. Her speech naturally evokes the question: does my womanhood doom me to a life of suffering? Whilst women have ‘pain on a cycle’, the relationship between womanhood and physical pain goes a lot deeper. The fact is, we live in a society that minimises and diminishes women’s suffering. This dismissal not only impacts the quality of medical care women receive but actively forces women to live their lives in pain with little to no support. Whether or not pain is our physical destiny, it does not excuse society’s failure to respect and listen to women.
On average, women are predisposed to experience more severe and recurring pain than men. The wiring in the brain and the spinal cord that relates to physical pain and sensation varies between males and females. In short, men and women do not experience pain in the same way. Hormones such as oestrogen significantly influence pain, and studies have shown that when oestrogen peaks during a menstrual cycle, pain sensitivity is at its highest. Women are also more likely to develop conditions associated with chronic pain such as fibromyalgia and osteoporosis. And, as established in Fleabag, for women, this suffering is a default. Pain does not just impact those with chronic conditions, but exists for all womankind. But as I said before, women and their relationship to physical suffering runs deeper than just physical predisposition. Women not only experience pain, but they are often ignored or condemned for it.
Despite women being overrepresented in chronic pain conditions, medical staff take their pain less seriously than men’s. The innateness of our pain is something women must carry with ourselves every day. However, it is this aspect of our lives which is often repeatedly weaponised against usDoctors are incredibly dismissive of women’s pain, with women repeatedly being targeted as being oversensitive to suffering that they are ‘obligated’ to accept. Women who seek medical help for intense period pains are often told that it is normal, and that agonising periods are merely a part of womanhood. Whilst pain is by no means an uncommon experience, the societal expectation for women to simply ‘cope’ with pain is intensely damaging. The dismissal of abdominal pain prevents women from being diagnosed with chronic conditions such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is in incredibly terrifying experience to seek medical help and be dismissed by condescending medical practitioners on the basis of your sex. Pain is an exhausting state to exist in, as it infiltrates every aspect of life and makes basic functioning agonising. When women in this state are refused help, the mental and physical damage is irreparable. Not only are conditions underdiagnosed and undertreated, but women are forced to cope with the mental suffering of being disrespected and the pervading fear for their own health.
Ultimately, it seems that pain may be our physical destiny. Not only are women physically predisposed to conditions associated with chronic pain, but they are repeatedly dismissed and undertreated. Suffering is ingrained within the experience of womanhood, as is dismissal and condemnation. However, it doesn’t need to be this way. What we can take from this is that women are incredibly strong. Whilst there are still are large number of reforms needed to ensure that women are adequately and respectfully treated for their pain, an increased awareness for the suffering women go through will allow for better care. It is imperative that women advocate for their care in medical settings. Whether this means bringing a support person, seeking multiple opinions, or raising the issue of bias with your practitioner directly, it plays a role in ensuring that women are not forced to unnecessarily suffer, and ensures better care for all of womankind.
Written by Matilda Davies
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