3 'gender neutral' things worse than the Brit Awards

The Brits decided to have a gender neutral Best Artist category and it backfired because the industry is not ready. Opening up spaces without addressing the underlying reasons women aren't set up for success will not work. But in this video I explore three further cases where gender neutral things are actively harming women - uniforms and PPE, medicine, and car safety.

Jump to:
0:00-1:51 intro
1:52-5:05 why one size fits all sucks
5:06-8:49 uniforms and PPE
8:50-10:57 medicine
10:58-14:47 car safety
14:48- 16:21 outro

*correction: I mention a 2020 study that found a difference in how male vs female bodies metabolise drugs in 86% of the drugs tested - it was actually 86 drugs that were tested, 96% of cases led to more adverse effects for women.

Sources:

Crash dummies to peruse:

[greenstockingsociety]

What are some other gender data gaps and annoying 'gender neutral' or 'unisex' things that bug you? 🤔

[meowcoww]

I'm a young adult, still in uni. Approximately 11% of women/AFAB people have some form of endometriosis. Not once was endometriosis brought up in primary or high school, not in a health class, nothing.

I experienced horrible debilitating dysmenorrhea since I started having periods at age 11. Each year I would see my doctor multiple times, explaining (often my mother explaining really) the extent of the pain and disruption to my everyday life that couldn't be improved much, if at all, by over-the-counter pain medication. I was told that I was just young, that my periods must just be irregular (they weren't, it was years until I ever experienced an unexpectedly early/late period), to just try warm baths and heat packs and light physical activity. I would literally spend whole days curled in a ball just sobbing periodically. It was only when the pelvic pain became chronic in my final year of high school that I was referred to a specialist. I had seen probably over 5 different doctors about this issue in that time. It had reached a point where I couldn't stand up long enough to cook myself a meal. The specialist almost immediately determined that endometriosis was the most likely cause, but the only way to diagnose with certainty would be laparoscopic surgery. Ultrasounds sometimes work, but the external ones showed nothing, and the internal ones were painful and distressing. I'm yet to pursue the surgery, particularly as covid made "elective surgeries" like this one difficult to schedule at the time.

I am (luckily) currently managing my symptoms with a medication designed to address endometriosis and dysmenorrhea. Technically, the formulation is similar to most hormonal birth control pills, being mostly oestrogen and progesterone, but it is not allowed to be prescribed for contraceptive purposes in my country, as this specific drug formulation was never tested for its contraceptive efficacy. At my first ultrasound appointment ever when I was around 16/17, the male technician that presently had his hand in my pants pressing the ultrasound wand against me so hard it was painful and I thought I would wet myself tried to correct me when I attempted to explain this in response to him asking if I was "taking any contraceptives." He proceeded to explain to me what I already knew about how hormonal birth control works, potentially putting my health in danger in the instance that I actually believed his statements about my specific medication which he really knew nothing about. My GP and specialist had both made it clear to me that if I needed contraception, we would need to change my prescription; my medication was not to be used as contraception. If I had not known this, he could have led me to make misinformed decisions about my sexual health.

This medication has been life-altering; there was a time when I thought I would not be able to go to university due to the chronic pelvic pain (also chronic migraines) but now I am able to live a relatively normal life away from home. However, my medication is not included in the prescription benefits scheme, meaning that one refill of my prescription is very expensive. This is in spite of all public information about the medication I take indicating that it is applicable for the scheme. I and many others have signed petitions and directly contacted the company that produces the medication, pleading for them to make a proposal (as in my country the companies must apply for the PBS, it is not mandated by the government), but the company refuses. They offer no transparency for why they refuse to initiate the process. I am lucky in that I have family support that enables me to continue purchasing this medication, but others are not so lucky.

It takes on average 7 to 10 years from the onset of symptoms for endometriosis to be diagnosed. It is a lifelong condition with no cure beyond invasive surgeries and expensive medications that only manage the disease. It is not acceptable for 5.5% of society to have to experience this.

[shannon]

Most people who transition to nonbinary are mostly girls. I am not saying guys do it too, but I mostly see girls. My college is sorta woke. I see this person who is perhaps genderfluid. I saw him wearing mens clothes the other day and womens clothes the next day. I was a bit uncomfortable but everyone is different ig.