Addressing and Overcoming the Disparity in Women's Health Care.
- Abigail Balkus - MSc. in Health and Social Psychology
- Jan 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 2
Venture to the north of Spain to learn about the modern health care disparity for women, how to overcome it, and find natural healthcare tips.
I invite you to close your eyes... wait keep reading then close them.
...and take some deep breaths before embarking on the topic in this article.
If you identify as a woman reading this, it can be a personally distressing and heart-breaking subject.
And, if you identify as a man reading this, possibly you need a moment to place yourself in an open mind space.
Take a moment, focusing on the breath deepening.
Let the bottom of your belly be like focusing on the quiet bottom of the ocean, separating your attention from the rocky waters which can be your thoughts and mind region higher up in the body.
Refreshed, opening your eyes, you enter the province of Gipuzkoa in the north of Spain. You are sitting along the Urumea River, high in the mountains.
The water feels cool and refreshing on your feet as you escape the summer heat by dipping your toes in the running river rush, careful not to slip on the mossy rocks glittering out of the surface of the water.
After this refreshing mid-day break during siesta time in Spain, you head further up the mountain on your moto 🛵 and feel the wind-blowing in your hair and on your face.
You are headed towards your hometown of Guizueta, located in Navarra, Spain. This town high in the mountains is the source of the Urumea River, where your parents own a successful restaurant selling fresh fish from the river, like salmon and trout.
You wave 👋 to your parents as you enter their restaurant, sitting down to a glass of the region's cider and tapas: this cheese plate with marmalade, and bocadillos (little sandwiches) of a variety of local meats.
You begin chatting with your parents about their "when I was your age..." story... you know how it usually goes.
However, this time is different, your mother is telling you your great grandmother's "when I was your age" story that has been passed on for generations.
You had been complaining about the lack of health research on women's health, and how this affects women's health care treatment. You had a friend that got toxic-shock syndrome from tampons, and you are feeling furious and devastated about the lack of knowledge available for safe health care for women.
And.... your mother begins...
"Oh stop complaining, when my grandmother was a child here in this town, women could not vote, they could not work outside of the house, and she spent her days cooking and cleaning, using that old wash basin in the town to handwash her seven children's clothes daily since they only had two pairs of pants each."
And the hometown visit argument begins... but, you took a gender studies class at university... your mother still won't listen but alas...
"Mom, I get it times are different, we have more rights, but also still live in a patriarchal society, where most things for women are created by men. Most products for women were made by men, having no idea about what a woman actually needs. And they use their company's power and marketing techniques to make us think that we need these products. And most of the time, the products are not even tested on women."
Your father sighs in the background
"Here look at this article on male sexuality from 2006..."
You send your mom this link https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2576725/
"From 2006, it cites over 561 studies on male sexual behavior. You know how many large research studies there are on women's sexuality??
One, oneeeee. Back from 1981 called The Hite Report. And it is not even a good study because it has no quantitative data, only qualitative interviews with women."
The 👿 on your shoulder is beginning to win over the 😇 as you begin to feel heated and upset.
Your mom now sighs, "Relaxxx, relaxxx, honey, at least society has changed since my grandmother's era, let it take its time."
You mumble, "Mmmmm so we can have a new iphone every other week, and drones, and AI, but it takes that long to grow studies on women... bullshit.
And, it really hasn't progressed as much as we think, back back in the B.C. eras, there were many matriarchal indigenous tribes, so... technically we have gone backwards."
Your mother retorts, "Well we are in different times, maybe a matriarchal society wouldn't function now, and anyway, we are working to be equal, not to have a certain gender in power. Clearly there was a reason that those tribes ended."
The little devil returns, "Okay mommm... first off, there are matriarchal societies today that function great, in class we just reviewed two of these societies located in Asia, here's the article, you should read it on your off day tomorrow, it is from 2022, written by a German female researcher, and she has been studying modern matriarchal society since 1978."
The 😇 begins to come back...
"Heide Goettner-Abendroth, she is pretty epic honestly, the article states that she... "... lectured worldwide and has published various books on matriarchal society and culture, and has become a founder of modern Matriarchal Studies. In 2003, she organized and guided the World Congress on Matriarchal Studies in Luxembourg and, in 2005, the World Congress on Matriarchal Studies in Texas/USA. In 2011, she guided a big conference on Matriarchal Studies and Matriarchal Politics in Switzerland. She is one of the women across the globe who have been nominated by the worldwide initiative "1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005"."
"Alright, alright, honey, I gettt it, seems like the degree I'm paying for is paying off at least, but still... we are different now, we are working on equality, not one ruling gender-
You cut your mom off.
"Actually Dr. Goettner-Abendroth says that the main problem in our understanding of matriarchal societies is our lack of a solid definition for them. She says that matriarchal societies are "non-hierarchical, horizontal societies of matrilineal kinship"."
"Honey I didn't go to university like you, that makes zero sense to me-
You cut your mom off again.
"Okayyy mom, that is the quickest summary I could give, she actually very simply outlines what a matriarchy is in the article, and it is actually a very easy read... just take a second and read it now."
You heard the girl.. give the academic baddie Heide Goettner-Abendroth a well-deserved read of her article to understand how matriarchal societies function, even in modern times.
Alright, back to your hometown of Guizueta.
Your mom has read the story and maybeee, maybeee she will change her mind.
Either way we have learned that no matter people's personal opinion, women suffer from a lack of research in women's health. I can't lie, the facts are not even there. The statistics and research articles are few-and-far between on women's health and the impacts of the lack of research.
With the "micro-plastics are in everything" trend, the microplastics in women's products, and other toxic chemicals has begun to come to light. The studies on the toxic properties of tampon use are just beginning as the first step towards any kind of equal healthcare for women.
In a Grassroots change manner, we must begin with changing the patriarchal paradigm we are under.
Ladies: Please, please stop saying and posting about, "I'm just a girl."
Men don't need anymore power over women then they already have. The more we learn how to take care of ourselves and each other in a community-manner, the less we are "helpless" and "need" a man in our lives.
This mindset wildly varies by culture. However the first step for everyone is to connect to your own self-worth. For the women, we all know or have been that girl that ruins the hangout with our friend because we couldn't stop talking about a guy the whole time, even though he treated us like shit, or he stayed friends with his guy friend that raped another girl.
No more excuses for men or women on this end! Hold them accountable, find your self-respect and self-worth.
Do things alone,
do things at home,
take a break,
stop the Tinder dates,
put down your phone,
you're never really alone
find your peace
be the peace
rest and don't forget
they were never that great
learn who YOU are
what you like
what tickles your appetite
be a foodie
see that movie
who cares what they think
be "selfish"
who cares if they don't like shell-fish
the pearl in the shell
resist telling them "go to hell"
master yourself
Be yourself
and just Be
I'm here for you, your friends and family (or maybe your non-blood family) are here for you.
Awareness is the start.
I will continue posting, illuminating, and providing real, natural science-backed women's healthcare.
Women's Health Care Information from my expert Queen👑 and friend Priscilla:
App Recommendation: Stardust
"A free cycle tracking app that integrates science, ancient wisdom, astronomy, and artificial intelligence to help you find contentment, manifest goals, and befriend your body."
Stardust does not sell your information, sadly many women's period tracking apps have been linked to women being arrested for having illegal abortions, as it tracks your pregnancy & abortion stats.
Until next time, don´t let the negative that is happening in the world stand in the way of the positive ;0
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