Underestimating the pain: Difficulties experienced by women in obtaining medical diagnosis, treatment, and support in Turkey

This thesis study examines the difficulties experienced by women in obtaining medical diagnoses in Turkey and their experiences of having their pains/symptoms underestimated by both doctors and their immediate surroundings, by focusing on women's narratives and positioning them as "knowing subjects". The research discusses the role of the knowledge and trust gap that arises from women's lesser inclusion in clinical trials compared to men, resulting in the majority of knowledge and understanding about healthy and sick bodies, diagnosis, and treatment processes being derived from the male body. This study, conducted from a feminist perspective and using feminist methods, aims to uncover women's unique experiences and investigate the impact of gender as well as other factors such as class and ethnic background on the process of obtaining a diagnosis, rather than solely seeking objective, generalizable knowledge. The study intends to contribute to feminist literature, gender studies, and the field of medical sociology. The study was conducted as a field research using an in-depth interview technique, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Interviews were conducted with twenty neurotypical and neurodivergent women who have experienced or are currently experiencing acute and chronic physical and mental illnesses through the video conferencing platform Zoom. The interviews were recorded and later transcribed for analysis. Women are faced with stereotypes such as that they do not suffer as much as they say, that they exaggerate their pain, that their physical complaints are actually psychological, that they are trying to attract attention, that they are hypochondriac. These stereotypes cause women to live with pain and require them to be persistent in order to be diagnosed despite their negative experiences.