Case study 5 – Intersecting inequalities
Marginalised women may often belong to multiple minoritised groups, which can compound the reproductive inequalities they experience. The intersection of inequalities experienced by different marginalised groups - such as migrant women, women with a mental health condition or women experiencing domestic violence - creates multiple interactive layers of discrimination, stigma and exclusion. For example, migrant women are disproportionately likely to experience domestic violence, which in turn can lead to mental health conditions, or migrant women are more likely to experience mental health conditions associated with the upheaval experienced during migration.
Anon's story
Anon, moved to the UK when she was 8 years old without English as a first language. Anon has a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which has meant that accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRHS) can be particularly distressing and anxiety-inducing for her.
Anon had found accessing her preferred method of contraception through her GP increasingly difficult. Due to medicines shortages, Anon has not been able to renew her prescription, causing her anxiety and prompting her to schedule an appointment to switch to methods. Anon feels as though the responsibility is on the individual to chase for prescriptions, and shortages at pharmacies has meant she has had to take time off work to travel to and from different pharmacies in the hope of getting her prescription. Anon has also faced barriers when accessing contraception at a pharmacy. Anon told us she has been questioned by healthcare professionals (HCP) on whether, as a migrant woman without English as a first language, she had the right to access NHS healthcare, with one pharmacist incorrectly charging her for a contraceptive prescription.
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Anon had a particularly difficult experience when accessing treatment for an sexually transmitted infection (STI) at a sexual health clinic (SHC) Due to the nature of her mental health condition, an STI diagnosis is particularly triggering and distressing. Anon felt as if the staff at the SHC did not recognise her challenging situation and treated her as a “hysterical 19-year-old slut”.
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