"Aunt Flo. Shark Week.": The Inequities of Science Communication
“Aunt Flo.” “Shark Week.” “That Time of the Month.” In my house, it was just the unspoken. There was some kind of strange pause before saying the word “period,” almost as though we have evolved to pass down generations of unexplained shame of being a woman. I was not allowed to wear tampons when I had first gotten my period for an unspoken reason. In the summer, I thought had no choice when I felt weird saying why I didn’t want to go for a swim in the pool, but my best friend had picked up on what was going on; She gave me brand new period swimwear, and I thought all my problems were over…until my grandma put it in the dryer and I would never be able to use it again. I didn’t want to deal with all the unnecessary complications of not being able to be like other girls, who didn’t draw attention towards themselves because they discreetly wore tampons. I only began to wear them to neglect unspoken reasons, yet weeks later, I had learned of a recent study about traces of lead and arsenic in tampons. Why wasn’t this tested sooner? What brands were tested? What could this do to my health? All questions remained unanswered by the internet.
It was apparent that the awkward silence when it came to understanding my own health went beyond the boundaries of my household. The mystery behind the silence in research about women’s health is largely accredited to assumptions throughout the entire healthcare system. Historically, a lack of understanding of female anatomy has given way to more studies being conducted on male mice rather than female mice. Women’s bodies were “too complex,” and medical jargon perpetuated avoidance and a lack of transparency in science communication from researchers in labs to female patients in clinics. Studies based on male responses became the default.
This seems to follow an inherent history of men being “the default,” while women were merely the counterparts. Being smart, independent, ambitious, and driven have sometimes made women seem “masculine” in the eyes of society. Even in places like my AP Physics 1 Class, there are twice as many guys as girls. What becomes most alarming about this view is when it concerns our basic human rights including adequate healthcare, when crash test dummies are designed to resemble male bodies instead of women’s, or when heart attack symptoms are studied more in men than women because they are assumed to physiologically respond the same way.
Menstrual and reproductive health creates life; it is the reason we all exist, yet we ignore it because of what society deems is the benchmark, versus what is deemed shameful, embarrassing, or disgusting. Attention through research and science communication for women’s health is dire, and the assumption that women’s bodies function the same way as men’s must end, because the absence of these gaps or taboos could save millions of lives.
Sources:
It was apparent that the awkward silence when it came to understanding my own health went beyond the boundaries of my household. The mystery behind the silence in research about women’s health is largely accredited to assumptions throughout the entire healthcare system. Historically, a lack of understanding of female anatomy has given way to more studies being conducted on male mice rather than female mice. Women’s bodies were “too complex,” and medical jargon perpetuated avoidance and a lack of transparency in science communication from researchers in labs to female patients in clinics. Studies based on male responses became the default.
This seems to follow an inherent history of men being “the default,” while women were merely the counterparts. Being smart, independent, ambitious, and driven have sometimes made women seem “masculine” in the eyes of society. Even in places like my AP Physics 1 Class, there are twice as many guys as girls. What becomes most alarming about this view is when it concerns our basic human rights including adequate healthcare, when crash test dummies are designed to resemble male bodies instead of women’s, or when heart attack symptoms are studied more in men than women because they are assumed to physiologically respond the same way.
Menstrual and reproductive health creates life; it is the reason we all exist, yet we ignore it because of what society deems is the benchmark, versus what is deemed shameful, embarrassing, or disgusting. Attention through research and science communication for women’s health is dire, and the assumption that women’s bodies function the same way as men’s must end, because the absence of these gaps or taboos could save millions of lives.
Sources: