Abstract
African American women in the United States have experienced substantial improvements in health over the past 50 years, yet health disparities persist. Black women are disproportionately affected by chronic conditions such as diabetes, anemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD). The high incidence of chronic disease is related to the consequences of America’s long history of structural racism and gender oppression. The gender pay gap and the racial wealth gap have made economic instability a harsh reality resulting in food insecurity and reliance on low-cost low nutrition foods that contribute to obesity. Healthcare discrimination was exposed during the COVID pandemic. Black patients with COVID symptoms were more likely to be sent home without being tested. Minority communities in big cities had fewer testing sites and longer wait times and were more likely to run out of tests although African American women are more likely to suffer from underlying health conditions which increases their risk for COVID. Vaccines were approved for use in the United States. However, African American people have the lowest rate of vaccination among any ethnic group. There are very few vaccination clinics in low-income areas, which means that people of color are not being protected from the COVID virus. Scholars, policymakers, and medical professionals must address the health disparities experienced by Black women to make progress toward achieving health equity for this population. Racial and gender disparities in healthcare are social justice issues, which need to be addressed to improve health outcomes for women and people of color.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Social Justice, African American, Black, Disparities, Equity, Gender gap, Disparities
