Black women represent one in seven women in the United States today and are an integral part of our workforce and communities. Despite significant progress and contributions to U.S. society, Black women continue to face high levels of unfair treatment and systemic discrimination and make up a disproportionate share of people living in poverty and working in low-wage jobs. Black women, reflecting the intersectional nature of their identities, experience the combined effects of discrimination based on their gender and race. The 2023 KFF Racism, Discrimination and Health Survey is an important attempt to document the extent and impact of racism and discrimination, particularly in relation to people’s interactions with the healthcare system. As reported in the overview report, a majority (54%) of Black women said they had experienced at least one form of discrimination asked about in the survey, such as receiving worse service than others in stores or restaurants, in the past year.
In addition to these everyday forms of discrimination, Black women also report disproportionate unfair treatment in healthcare. For example, about one in five (21%) Black women say they have been treated unfairly by a health care provider or their staff because of their race or ethnic origin, and a similar proportion (22%) of Black women who have been pregnant or have children, who have given birth in the past decade say they were denied pain medications they thought they needed. These experiences may contribute to persistent disparities in Black women’s health, including stark disparities in maternal health.
Below are five key facts about Black women’s experiences in healthcare based on the survey. The results highlight that while most Black women report positive healthcare interactions overall, experiences of discrimination and unfair treatment based on race are common among Black women of all backgrounds. Increased health visits with a racially consistent provider are associated with an increase in reports of positive health care experiences among Black women, highlighting opportunities to improve high-quality and culturally competent care that can mitigate health disparities.
Although most Black women report positive health care experiences overall, they are more likely than other groups to report being treated unfairly by a health care provider because of their race and ethnicity and that they need to prepare for possible insults or be very careful about the impression encourage people to be treated fairly when visiting the doctor. Overall, similar to other groups, the majority of Black women report positive health care-seeking interactions in the past three years, such as: B. that a doctor spent enough time with them during their visit or explained things in a way they could understand. However, compared to other groups, Black women are more likely to report being treated unfairly by a health care provider in the past three years. For example, Black women (21%) are more likely than Black men (13%) to say they have been treated unfairly by a health care provider because of their race or ethnicity, and are seven times more likely to say this than White women (3rd). %). In another example, about six-in-ten (61%) Black women say they pay a lot of attention to their appearance or prepare for possible insults when seeking medical care, similar to but about twice as many Black men (57%) as high White men (28%) say the same.
Reports of unfair treatment by a health care provider based on race and ethnicity The disease persists among higher-income black women and is particularly high among younger women and those with darker skin. Across all income groups, at least one in six Black women say they felt they were treated unfairly or disrespected because of their race or ethnicity when visiting a doctor in the last three years. There are some differences in experiences of unfair treatment among black women depending on age and race. Younger Black women are more likely than older Black women to say they have had this experience, with about a quarter of Black women ages 18 to 29 (23%) and 30 to 49 (26%), and one in five 50 to 64 years old (19% say this), compared to about one in ten (11%) Black women ages 65 and older. Black women who describe their skin tone as “very dark” or “dark” report these experiences also more likely than women to describe their skin tone as “light” or “very light” (27% vs. 17%).
Black women who are younger or self-identified as having darker skin tone are They are more likely than their colleagues to say that they prepare for possible insults or feel that they have to be very careful about their appearance in order to be treated fairly during doctor’s visits. Vigilant behaviors such as preparing to be insulted or being considerate of one’s appearance are sometimes adopted by people experiencing discrimination to protect themselves from the threat of possible discrimination and to reduce exposure to discrimination. Research has shown that increased alertness is associated with impaired physical and mental health, including high blood pressure, sleep disorders and depression. While about half or more black women, regardless of income, age, and race, report doing one or both of these things at least some of the time, the proportion of black women reporting this vigilant behavior is higher among younger women who have darker colors Skin tones. For example, seven in ten (71%) Black women with self-identified darker skin tones say they have to be very conscious of their appearance and/or prepare for insults, at least most of the time, while about half (56%) say Black women do Women who self-identify as having lighter skin tone say the same thing.
Approximately one in three (34%) Black women who have sought medical care in the past three years report that a negative experience with a health care provider resulted in worsening health (13%; they are less likely to seek medical care (19%) and/or change providers (27%).. Younger black women are more likely than women ages 65 and older to report that a negative experience led to one of these consequences. Additionally, Black women who describe their own physical and/or mental health as “fair” or “poor” are more likely than those who report better health to say that a negative experience led to poorer health, and they are fewer likely to seek medical attention. or a change of provider in the last 3 years.
Black women report having at least half of their medical visits with a racially consistent provider more positive interactions with their healthcare providers. For example, Black women who have had at least half of their recent visits with a doctor of the same race or ethnicity are more likely than those who have had fewer of those visits to say that their doctor spent enough time with them during the visit has (80%). versus 66%), explained things in a way they could understand (90% versus 82%), involved them in decision-making about their care (84% versus 76%), understood and respected their cultural values or beliefs (84% versus 75%) or asked them about social and economic factors during recent visits (39% versus 27%). However, about six in ten (63%) Black women say that fewer than half or none of their health care visits in the last three years were with a provider who shared their racial or ethnic background. This suggests that increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce can help increase positive interactions for Black women and points to the importance of training and education among all providers to provide culturally competent and respectful care guarantee.