Equity and equality are incredibly important to me personally and professionally as I hope for more fair society as this impacts our health in so many way.. Angela Saini latest book, The Patriarchs, delves into how male domination become part of the very fibre of society and speak across the world. Patriarchy is based on so much more the physical differences between men and women, and far more complex than just developing from humans becoming agricultural. Ancient cultures were not as gendered as we might assume and there were many matriarchal communities too.
Angela overturns many long-standing theories and explains how we all have a part to play in maintaining patriarchy, including women, and the waves of how patriarchy moves with time. I will definitely need to read this again and go through the many resources and references but the thing that struck me is that it is not natural but something humans have concocted and we can reimagine a new future. I have also just read Divided, by Dr Annabel Sowemimi, and it’s one that I know I will keep coming back to as I continue my work and research into health inequalities in cancer. As the cover shares Dr Sowemimo expired the colonial roots of medicine and the racial biases which impacts the health outcomes of ethnic minorities in the UK. She shares more about how we can decolonise healthcare and improve health outcomes and save lives. Whilst I haven’t gotten to that part, I am constantly considering how we can decolonise medicine to reduce these inequalities in care. We all have to address our biases and those within the system, and particularly those who benefit from and work in the system. For me, true patient focused care is decolonised as we personalise care for each patient.
I have plenty more to say on both topics but for now, I leave you with these recommendations for reading if you want a more equitable world.
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