It’s an unacceptable truth; women and non-binary people’s pain is not taken seriously.

8 out of 10 women¹ in the UK feel they are not listened to by healthcare professionals – an experience of institutionalised sexism – which permeates culture, society and the workplace.

Research shows women are more likely than men to be affected by chronic pain. In these instances women generally experience more recurrent pain, more severe pain, and longer lasting pain², yet women’s pain is routinely disbelieved³ and less likely to be treated⁴ because of damaging gender stereotypes. As Anushay Hossain, author of ‘The Pain Gap’ says “There’s a pain gap, but there’s also a credibility gap. Women are not believed about their bodies — period.”⁵

A SheSays study into hidden illness and disability in the creative industry, revealed 83% of women and non-binary employees with an invisible health challenge or disability have actively chosen not to disclose it at work. 

Why? Fear of prejudice and discrimination.

62% actively hide their pain for fear of prejudice at work and 52% believe it could limit promotion and other opportunities for progress, if employers found out.

Like all systemic inequalities, it’s only by allyship that this issue can be tackled. At SheSays we believe the first step is listening. When people tell us of their invisible illness, disability or other health challenge, we need to BELIEVE THEM. 

The SheSays Believe Their Pain campaign is in partnership with JCDecaux Community Channel, to bring the grim reality of disclosure to the streets, and social feeds, across the UK – driving the need for belief and a change in outcomes.

Below are three easy steps to advocate for those with hidden pain, illness and disability – as well as additional resources to further support allyship or those affected.

Download our Leaders Toolkit – your guide to supporting those with hidden health conditions at work. It’s a 10 minute read. 

…But if you have only 30 seconds, try the below…

To encourage inclusivity for all, including people experiencing invisible pain, SheSays suggest workplaces should:

Allow flexible working; hours and logistics.
This will help address those with care duties, reduce stress, and allow for those navigating illness or disability. 

Implement training to address unconscious bias and empower managers to handle complex subjects effectively and with emotional intelligence. 

Foster an inclusive culture with open discussion and visible comms that drive change.

Include tailored/gender-specific workplace considerations, from policies to health and safety risk assessments:

• Ensure your environment supports the needs of women and non-binary people (e.g. spatial freedom for a pregnant person using a bathroom cubicle) 
• Have gynaecological health policies
• Employee benefits should also cater to women (e.g. Private healthcare with fertility treatment and menopause support) 
• Parent and carer policies

Employ listening methods to gather insights from employees around needs.

Ensure employees have a safe, easy, and internally publicised way to request reasonable adjustments. 

Join networks and initiatives that drive change towards equality to build a more inclusive culture.

In addition, read and implement these things:

• Understand what ‘Disability’ means. Most disability and chronic illness organisations reference the Social Model of Disability
• Are you or your employee’s or colleagues eligible for Reasonable Adjustments?
• Consider sharing your own story
• Mental Health First Aid – support resources and tools for organisations
• Train your teams in inclusive practices
• Sign your organisation up to the Valuable 500
• Sign your organisation up to the Generation Valuable programme
• Train, interact and hire with disabled-friendly platforms like Making Space
• Know how to be a Mental health Ally
• Work with neurodivergent advocates like Ellie Midds
• Keep diversity in mind at all levels, and, where appropriate, consider using agencies like Diverse models
• Consider supporting women in your workforce with health support from providers like Peppy

Footnotes:

¹Department of Health and Social Care, UK Government Link
²International Association for the Study of Pain Link
³Journal of Pain Link
⁴Nurofen Pain Gap Index Report Link
⁵Washington Post Link
⁶Nurofen Pain Gap Index Report Link