In the United States, gender discrimination in healthcare remains a pervasive but often hidden issue—one that affects how you, or someone you care about, receives medical care and treatment. 

You may not always see it, but subtle biases affect diagnosis, access, cost, and outcomes. In this article, you will learn what gender discrimination in healthcare looks like, how it affects access and treatment, why it happens, and what you can do about it.

What Is Gender Discrimination in Healthcare?

Gender discrimination in healthcare occurs when a person receives different treatment, experiences delays, or reduced access to care or treatment because of their gender—often because the healthcare system or individual providers hold biases, stereotypes or outdated assumptions. 

This can occur at every level: from clinical research and diagnosis through to billing, treatment options and provider-patient interactions.

Why It Matters

You might ask why this matters—but it does significantly. When care is biased, your health outcomes can worsen. You may receive delayed diagnoses, fewer treatment options, or higher out-of-pocket costs simply because you are a woman or are perceived as such. 

Studies show that women in the U.S. are more likely than men to report that a provider dismissed their symptoms, or that they delayed care due to cost despite having insurance. For example, one national survey found about 9% of women ages 18-64 reported discrimination during a health care visit in the past two years, compared with 5% of men.

Gender discrimination also reinforces larger health inequities tied to race, ethnicity, age, disability and socioeconomic status. If you’re a young woman, a woman of color, or have lower income, the chances of experiencing bias increase.

Forms of Gender Discrimination in Healthcare

Here are some of the key ways gender discrimination shows up:

• Dismissal of symptoms: Women’s complaints—especially around chronic pain or heart symptoms—are more likely to be attributed to anxiety or emotional issues than to a physical cause.

• Delayed or unequal treatment: Research finds women wait longer for diagnoses, receive less aggressive treatment and are under-represented in clinical trials.

• Access and cost barriers: Women often report being unable to see a doctor when needed, delay care due to cost, or face higher out-of-pocket expenses.

• Workforce bias: Female healthcare workers (HCWs) frequently experience discrimination, lower pay, fewer leadership roles, and harassment—impacting the system you rely on.

• Research and policy gaps: Many medical studies historically used male subjects and failed to analyze sex and gender differences, which leads to less effective care for women.

Key Statistics You Should Know

• Among women ages 18-64 who visited a provider in the past two years in the U.S., 9% reported discrimination based on personal characteristics (age, gender, race, sexual orientation etc.), versus 5% of men.

• Women were more likely than men to delay health care access, to be unable to see a doctor because of cost, and to report cost-related medication non-adherence—even when coverage existed.

• Women are under-represented in clinical trials despite constituting roughly half the U.S. population; for example, in 2019 women accounted for about 40% of participants in trials of diseases that largely affect women.

• Women workers in healthcare—estimated at 76% of the workforce—report high rates of gender discrimination, from pay inequity to misidentification of roles and fewer advancement opportunities.

Why Gender Discrimination Happens in Healthcare

Understanding why this happens is critical—because then you can spot it and challenge it. Some reasons include:

• Historical biases and norms: Medical knowledge and training for decades centered on male bodies as the “norm” and treated female bodies as variants. Myths and stereotypes (e.g., women’s pain is “hysterical”) still linger in practice.

• Gendered expectations: Women may be expected to tolerate pain, be caregivers for others, or accept less aggressive treatment. Providers may unconsciously view men and women through these gendered lenses.

• Structural and systemic issues: Research shows health systems often replicate broader gender inequalities—women may have less authority as providers, less input into guidelines, and fewer resources allocated to female-specific health.

• Under-research and exclusion: With women under-represented in clinical research, medical guidelines may not reflect how diseases manifest in women, leading to misdiagnosis or sub-optimal care.

• Intersectional effects: Gender discrimination is compounded when intersecting with race, age, income, disability, or sexual orientation. Women of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals often face multiple layers of bias.

Impact on Patient Access, Treatment and Outcomes

If you’re a woman (or are caring for a woman), discrimination in healthcare affects you directly. Here are some of the ways:

• You may face longer delays before diagnosis or receive fewer referral tests than a man would with similar symptoms.

• Certain conditions—like heart disease—are historically viewed as “male” diseases, so women are less likely to receive prompt diagnosis.

• Insurance coverage and cost barriers may hit you harder; for example, women may pay more out-of-pocket annually than men for comparable healthcare coverage.

• You may feel less heard, less trusted by your provider and may leave visits without full answers or options.

• The cumulative effect of bias is worse health outcomes: increased morbidity, higher cost burden, lower quality of life, and more preventable complications.

Gender Discrimination Against Women Healthcare Workers

You may not realize it, but gender discrimination affects not just patients—it affects the people who care for them. Women HCWs face:

• Unequal pay for equivalent roles compared to male colleagues.

• Slower career progression, fewer leadership roles, and less recognition.

• Misidentification of their roles (e.g., women physicians mistaken for nurses) which undermines authority and respect.

• Harassment, micro-aggressions and work environments that perpetuate “old boys’ club” cultures.

• These issues contribute to burnout, lower job satisfaction, and ultimately impact the quality of care that patients receive.

What You Can Do as a Patient (and Advocate)

Here are practical actions you can take if you suspect gender bias or want to be proactive:

• Prepare ahead for appointments: Write down all your symptoms and concerns, note when they started, and be clear about how they affect your life.

• Ask questions: If a provider dismisses symptoms as “stress” or “anxiety,” ask explicitly what else might be tested or ruled out.

• Seek a second opinion: Especially if you feel ignored or your concerns are downplayed.

• Do your research: Understand how your condition may manifest differently in women, and check that recommended treatments fit your context.

• Track costs and bills: Compare out-of-pocket estimates and ask for itemized bills if charges seem atypical.

• Report discrimination: If you experience bias due to gender (or any other protected characteristic) you can file complaints with your provider’s institution, insurance plan, or health authority.

• Bring a support person: Having someone accompany you can help reinforce your voice and ensure your concerns are heard.

• Advocate for systemic change: Engage with patient advocacy groups, support gender-equity policies, and raise awareness of bias in healthcare institutions.

How Healthcare Systems and Providers Can Address the Issue

For real change to happen, the responsibility lies not only with you—but with providers and systems. Here are key strategies:

• Training and awareness: Providers should receive ongoing education on gender bias, stereotyping, and how conditions present differently across genders.

• Inclusive research: Clinical trials must recruit representative numbers of women and analyze sex- and gender-specific data.

• Protocol review and redesign: Healthcare institutions must audit diagnostic and treatment protocols to check for gender disparities in outcomes, wait times and interventions.

• Workforce equity: Encourage gender parity and leadership representation among providers; equalize pay; implement anti-harassment measures; ensure supportive workplace cultures.

• Intersectional approach: Policies must consider not only gender but how race, age, sexuality, disability and income layer up to affect experiences and outcomes.

• Patient-centered communication: Encourage providers to listen actively, treat complaints seriously, and avoid defaulting to stereotyping.

• Transparency and accountability: Healthcare organisations should publish data on gender disparities (access, treatment, outcomes) and set measurable goals for improvement.

Looking Ahead: Why Change Is Critical

You must recognize that gender discrimination in healthcare is not a niche issue—it has wide-ranging consequences. As the U.S. healthcare system moves toward goals like equitable access and value-based care, eliminating gender bias becomes not just morally right, but financially and clinically imperative.

For example, the extra cost burden women face in the U.S.—estimated at billions of dollars annually in higher out-of-pocket spending—is unsustainable and avoidable. Integrating gender equity means better outcomes, lower costs and fairer care.

In a climate where health disparities are already growing, letting gender bias persist undermines progress toward universal coverage, quality care, and trust in the system. For you as a patient, being aware and active in your care journey is your empowerment.

Conclusion

When you go into a healthcare provider, you should expect that you will be heard, respected and treated based on your symptoms and needs—not sidelined because of your gender. Gender discrimination in healthcare remains a barrier, but awareness, advocacy and system-level reform are gradually changing the landscape. 

Whether you are a patient, caregiver, or healthcare professional, you play a role in advancing equitable care. By recognizing the signs of bias, speaking up for yourself or others, and pushing for systemic change, you contribute to a healthier future for all.