The NHS has dropped the word ‘women’ from its main online health
advice for those being treated for cervical, womb and ovarian cancers.
Cervical cancer is now described on the health service’s website as
‘a cancer that’s found anywhere in the cervix’ while womb cancer affects
‘the womb’.
To see the word ‘women’ being used to talk about female illness, patients have to click further into the website
England’s NHS website – which is often the first port of call for
people checking symptoms – previously used the word ‘women’ to talk
about female cancers.
It used to say: ‘Cancer of the womb (uterine or endometrial cancer)
is a common cancer that affects the female reproductive system. It’s
more common in women who have been through the menopause.’
But now the NHS website writes: ‘Most womb cancer usually starts in
the lining of the womb (endometrium), this is also known as endometrial
cancer.’
The move has come under fire, according to the Times, from
researchers into birth and childcare who worry that those with poor
language skills who already have ‘worse health outcomes’ could find it
difficult to understand the NHS website.
Dr Karleen Gribble of Western Sydney University, lead author of a
recent review on the importance of sexed language in birth and
childcare, said she thinks ‘desexed language’ is ‘well intentioned’ but
could put health at ‘risk’
She did acknowledge that there were some parts – subheadings that
still used the word women – but added: ‘The very first thing needs to be
who does this apply to – who needs to listen to the rest of this? Then
you can give them information.’
Other examples on the NHS website – part of NHS Digital that now is
under NHS England – include referring to ovarian cancer as affecting
‘the two organs that store the eggs needed to make babies’ and over 50s.
It previously said: ‘Ovarian cancer, or cancer of the ovaries, is one of the most common types of cancer in women.
‘The ovaries are a pair of small organs located low in the tummy that
are connected to the womb and store a woman’s supply of eggs.
‘Ovarian cancer mainly affects women who have been through the
menopause (usually over the age of 50), but it can sometimes affect
younger women.’
Others like Ovarian Cancer Action – who raise awareness for this type
of cancer – have not adopted this terminology and instead say: ‘Ovarian
Cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women with around 7,000 new
cases diagnosed in the UK each year.’
Dr Gribble in her paper ‘Effective communication about pregnancy,
birth, lactation, breastfeeding and newborn care : the importance of
sexed language’ said ‘desexing language’ could have huge issues.
She write: ‘Those who are young, with low literacy or education, with
an intellectual disability, from conservative religious backgrounds, or
being communicated to in their non-native language are at increased
risk of misunderstanding desexed language
‘However, even women with high levels of education may not be
familiar with female reproductive processes and terms of female anatomy
and physiology and so may not understand some desexed terms.
‘They may not know, for example, that ‘a person with a cervix’ is a woman and refers to them.’
She also wrote that referring to women by their body parts could risk ‘othering’ and ‘dehumanising’ them....<<<Read More>>>...
