My experience is just the opposite. I beleive that men are more likely to have their pain taken seriously than women, especially by male doctors. I think they beleive that men don't complain about feeling poorly or about pain as often, so when they do complain they MUST be having pain. Yes, it is beleived that more women get addicted to prescription meds and that men do not have as much chronic pain. Clearly this is bull, since I know men who have fibromyalgia, migranines, etc. Hormones are often blamed on illnesses women have or psychological problems.
I think that race and social class also influences how doctors treat their patients. I have worked in clinics catering to the "upper class" and community health clinics which cater to mostly inner-city minorities and the poor. The doctors in the more affluent clinics are more likely to prescribe strong pain-killers to people with private insurance and who are more "affluent" looking or even middle class. I noticed that in the "poor" clinics the doctors won't prescribe anything more than a few Tylenol 3's for painful condidtions and usually give Motrin for things like sprains and broken fingers. I think that is pathetic and biased.
I know that the medical community has a prejudice against people who receive medicaid, and there are studies that show that people with medicaid are more likely to sell their narcotics. I don't know if these studies have any basis in fact, but I know that the medical community is biased against the poor, no matter their race or sex. Just look at all of the bad press about Appalacia and the oxycontin mess. That definetly has something to do with the "class" of people.
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Re: How doctors treat women vs. men?
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