GENDER INEQUALITY IN HEALTHCARE: HOW SEXISM SHAPES WOMEN’S HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WESTERN HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
GENDER INEQUALITY IN HEALTHCARE: HOW SEXISM SHAPES WOMEN’S HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WESTERN HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to examine gender inequality in healthcare as a sociological issue, analysing how women’s health has been historically marginalised and continues to be shaped by sexist practices and norms. The study explores how this historical exclusion influences contemporary Western healthcare systems and women’s health outcomes. While gender bias and health disparities are acknowledged in academic literature, in practice they are often dismissed or addressed as technical issues rather than outcomes of sexist social structures. This paper provides a sociological perspective by examining how gender inequality in healthcare is produced and sustained through gendered norms and research practices that influence the quality of women’s healthcare. The study combines a literature review with case-based examples documented in academic literature to examine historical and contemporary trends in women’s healthcare, their impact on female patient safety and quality of care. Examples from multiple Western countries, including delayed diagnoses of women’s pain-related and reproductive health conditions, are used to illustrate patterns of dismissal. The article reveals that contemporary Western healthcare systems continue to operate on male-default model, resulting in unequal care practices, dismissal of women’s health concerns, incorrect or delayed diagnoses. Although overt discrimination has diminished in many Western healthcare contexts, inequality persists through research frameworks and clinical practices. This study relies on secondary data and published sources. Future research could incorporate empirical qualitative data, including interviews with patients, healthcare professionals and researchers, as well as comparative analyses across healthcare systems.

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