The Gender Pain Gap

and the recently released Victorian Listening to Women’s Voices report

The Listening to Women’s Voices report has been released.

Of 1700 Victorian women:

Half said period-related conditions affected their health and wellbeing

Half said pregnancy and birth complications continued to impact their health

One third said conditions such as endometriosis, menopause and chronic pain led to poor mental health

One third have health conditions that affect their ability to work and keep a job

One third reported disrespectful health practitioners left them feeling dismissed and unheard.

It’s easy to let stats like that rush past you. But I encourage you to read them again.

As practitioners - none of this is new. This is in our offices every single day.

We know:

 Chronic pain affects more women than men

 Women are less likely to receive treatment

 Women experience more recurrent, severe and longer-lasting pain than men

 Medical gender bias is a factor in allowing women’s pain to be dismissed

Our systemic Gender Pain Gap cannot be ignored and we welcome this discussion.

Juno Specialists’ Approach

We established Juno Specialists as a breakaway model that works with women's pain in truthful, respectful, dynamic and collaborative ways.

We know pain can feel uncomfortable to talk about with your practitioner. Stigma and social conditioning are real.

In reality, women's pain is a common experience that need not be silenced or minimised. And the truth of your lived experience deserves air.

We are aware that ongoing pain, left unsupported, has very real and wide ranging consequences right across a woman’s life.

Pain may not be visible on a person, but it can always be believed. We are committed to listening to you, hearing you and believing you.

We are committed to exploring the reasons behind your pain, collaborating across modalities and teams, sharing relevant information and standing beside you to navigate the best path for you.

At Juno Specialists we are passionate about closing the Gender Pain Gap.

We want to squash forever the idea of a world where women’s pain is dismissed as normal. Where we ask them to simply ‘put up’ with pain, silently, and encourage them to ‘get on with it’.

Instead, at Juno, we normalise and celebrate the act of women seeking support for their very real pain. And we watch so many aspects of their life flourish for it.

About the survey, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said what we were all thinking:

‘This won’t be a mic drop moment for the majority of Victoria’s population, because every woman has either experienced it for herself or knows someone who has...’

An inquiry into women’s pain is being undertaken as a result of this report.

Submissions are now open.

Consider participating if you have a lived experience of pain, are a carer, a healthcare provider, within health services, organisations or conduct research in the field.

Information about lodging a submission here.

We’re happy to see the language on the inquiry submission page affirming women's experience of pain too.

We want a world where women are supported, heard and held into thriving.

Collecting these submissions is a good start.

Onwards from here. Together.

Juno Specialists opens in Richmond in March 2024. And we so look forward to working with you soon.