About this item
This stunning expose is the first comprehensive analysis of gender bias in modern medical treatment in the United States today, putting women at increased risk for sickness and death. In this shocking, hard-hitting expose in the tradition of Naomi Klein and Barbara Ehrenreich, the editorial director of Feministing.com reveals how gender bias affects every level of medicine and health care today -- leading to inadequate, inappropriate, and even dangerous treatment that threatens women's lives and well-being. Modern medicine is failing women. Half of all American women suffer from at least one chronic health condition, from autoimmune disorders and asthma to depression and Alzheimer's disease -- and the numbers are increasing. A wealth of research has revealed that women often exhibit different symptoms than their male counterparts, suffer disproportionately from many debilitating conditions, and may react differently to prescription drugs and other therapies. Yet more than twenty years after the law decreed that women be included in all health-related research and drug development, doctors are still operating with a lingering knowledge gap when it comes to women's health. They're not immune to unconscious biases and stereotypes that can undermine the doctor-patient relationship. The consequences can be catastrophic. Too often, women are misdiagnosed and poorly treated and find their complaints dismissed as ''just stress'' or ''all in your head.'' Meanwhile, they are getting sicker. Maya Dusenbery brings together scientific and sociological research, interviews with experts within and outside the medical establishment, and personal stories from women to provide the first comprehensive, accessible look at how sexism in medicine harms women today. In addition to offering a clear-eyed explanation of the root causes of this insidious and entrenched bias and laying out its effects, she suggests concrete steps we can take to overcome it. Eye-opening and long-overdue, Doing Harm is an empowering call to action for health-care providers and all women.
About the Author
Maya Dusenbery is a writer, editor, and author of Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick.In 2013, Maya became editorial director of the award-winning site Feministing.com, where she has written about a range of feminist topics since 2009. She has also been a fellow at Mother Jones magazine and an online columnist at Pacific Standard magazine. Her work has appeared in publications like Cosmopolitan.com, TheAtlantic.com, Bitch Magazine, as well as the anthology The Feminist Utopia Project.Before becoming a full-time journalist, Maya worked at the National Institute for Reproductive Health. A Minnesota native, she received her B.A. from Carleton College in 2008. After living in Brooklyn, Oakland, and Atlanta, she is currently based in the Twin Cities.[Photo by Caitlin Nightingale]
