Last week, we launched the third instalment of Nurofen’s Gender Pain Gap Index Report – marking three years of the brand’s ongoing journey to uncover the extent of the ‘Gender Pain Gap’ in the UK. Their goal is to raise awareness of the bias that exists in the treatment of women’s pain compared to men’s and, support key commitments to close the gap for good.

Nurofen’s research has confirmed that a gap does exist between men’s and women’s experiences with pain treatment. Women frequently report feeling dismissed by friends, family, colleagues, healthcare professionals and the media, far more often than men. The 2024 report uncovered shocking findings about the impacts of pain dismissal throughout women’s day-to-day lives – with one in five feeling it affected their career and a third experiencing an impact on their mental health.

Working on this report has opened my eyes to the scale of the Gender Pain Gap. Learning that 81% of young women in my own age group (18-24) report having experienced pain dismissal, some from as early as age 10, demonstrates the importance of Nurofen’s work in this space. From a young age, girls come to expect that their pain will not be believed or dismissed as a normal part of being a woman. Many end up disregarding their own pain for fear of wasting their own time and that of others.

The shocking disparity came to life for me when speaking to the brave women who shared their pain stories as spokespeople for the campaign. Common to all their stories were the fear that they would be thought of as dramatic and being told that the pain they experienced was an expected part of life as a woman.

I’ve been truly inspired by the amazing women who have shared their stories with us. Their openness and bravery have been crucial in shedding light on the often-unconscious bias in the treatment of women’s pain and have helped us advocate for change that we hope will one day see the gap close for good.

Despite the increased awareness of the gender pain gap since the first report in 2022, this year’s findings demonstrate that there is still more to be done. Awareness alone has not overcome the bias, but it is a positive first step. Nurofen’s work is also providing the tools for both doctors and patients to make the process of diagnosis easier and help women be heard. From education for healthcare professionals to creating communication guides to help people express their pain, Nurofen is using insights from the report to develop tangible solutions for everyone.

By Orla McDermott, Senior Associate on Golin’s Risk & Reputation team.