Bridging the Gender Pain Gap: A Call for Fairness in Women’s Health
A landmark report out of Victoria has placed a long-overdue spotlight on the systemic dismissal of women’s pain, urging sweeping reforms across Australia’s healthcare system to close what experts have described as the “gender pain gap.”
Released this week, the Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report outlines 27 recommendations aimed at establishing a new “women’s pain standard” — a framework that would provide clinicians with clearer guidance on how to recognise, assess and manage women’s pain more effectively.
The report’s release has been met with strong support from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), which says it marks a critical step toward validating women’s health experiences and addressing medical bias that has gone unchecked for decades.
Acknowledging medical misogyny
RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz said the findings expose a deeply ingrained issue that continues to harm women’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
“Medical misogyny is a widespread issue that has real and, in many cases, damaging impacts on the health and wellbeing of women in Australia,” she said. “Women often encounter disbelief or minimisation of their pain symptoms, leading to under-diagnosis and inadequate pain relief.”
Dr Muñoz said chronic pain disproportionately affects women, yet many continue to face dismissal or disbelief from healthcare professionals. “This report reaffirmed that chronic pain disproportionately affects women, who also face more instances of being ignored or dismissed by clinicians,” she said.
Funding gaps and the burden on GPs
The report also highlights a lack of systemic support and funding for practitioners working in women’s health, an area where female patients and female GPs are most affected.
“We have seen a clear lack of funding and support in this area and it is female patients and female GPs who bear the brunt of this under-investment,” Dr Muñoz said.
One key recommendation welcomed by the RACGP is for the Victorian Government to advocate to the Australian Government for an increase in Medicare rebates for longer consultations with GPs, nurse practitioners and midwives. The College has long called for a 40% increase to rebates for consultations over 20 minutes, recognising that complex cases, particularly those involving chronic pain or mental health require more time and care.
Women’s health under pressure
The RACGP’s Health of the Nation 2025 report, released earlier this year, reinforces the urgency of reform. It found that women’s health presentations are on the rise, with women more likely than men to see their GP for mental health concerns.
Dr Muñoz said the current system leaves women “shortchanged.”
“We know that people with complex and chronic conditions need more time with their GPs, and in our current system women are being shortchanged,” she said.
A roadmap for change
Another important step, according to the RACGP, is the recommendation for the Victorian Government to collaborate with the College on endorsing Victorian-based training materials and developing additional professional education opportunities for GPs.
“The RACGP has called for support for professional training for GPs in chronic pain, which profoundly affects the lives of women in Australia,” Dr Muñoz said. “We urgently need a comprehensive understanding of women’s experience of chronic pain and the complexities and challenges in achieving effective management to improve the health and wellbeing of women around Australia.”
As awareness grows around the gendered disparities in healthcare, this report and the RACGP’s response may signal a pivotal moment, one that redefines how women’s pain is seen, heard and treated across Australia.
Read the report here
