Hodder signs ‘game-changing’ book on medical sexism by Bigg 

Hodder & Stoughton has signed This Won’t Hurt: How Medicine Fails Women by Dr Marieke Bigg, described by the publisher as “game-changing”.

Commissioning editor Izzy Everington acquired world rights from Eli Keren at United Agents, for publication in hardback, e-book and audio on 16th February 2023.

Its synopsis reads: “The idea that medicine is gender-neutral is a myth; from the way pain is felt to how heart attacks are diagnosed, to the very role society plays in women’s bodies, the medical landscape in place today is one that was designed for, and by, men.

“Diving into the reasons behind why women are 50% more likely than men to receive an incorrect diagnosis when experiencing a heart attack, as well as twice as likely to die in the 30 days following a heart attack than men, Marieke Bigg’s polemic uncovers the myriad ways in which medicine and medical research is biased, and offers surprisingly hopeful insight into how we might craft a better future for all bodies.”

Marieke Bigg gained her PhD in sociology from the University of Cambridge and her work focuses on the role of biological models and biologists in public deliberations on biotechnology and reproductive medicine. 

The publisher describes This Won’t Hurt as “an empowering book that will give voice to anyone who has ever felt left behind by medicine because their bodies don’t fit the medical male standard”.

Bigg said: “Writing this book has been both profoundly confronting and incredibly inspiring. I knew there was a gender bias problem in medicine, but I didn’t fully grasp how pervasive and insidious the problem was until I read over the story my research had compelled me to tell.

“It also presented me with unexpected, far-reaching and futuristic possibilities far beyond my wildest imagination. We have so far to go in providing adequate medical care for women, but once we take up this challenge, we’ll all be amazed by the drastic improvements this will bring—for science, for medicine, for women, and for us all."

Everington commented: “Working with Marieke has been such a privilege and I am deeply honoured to be publishing this sharp, honest, incisive book. Make no mistake, this is a book that everyone, not just women, ought to read. 

“It’s an empowering tool for all of us who are committed to making this world safer to navigate for all bodies, and it’s a refreshing retort for every time a doctor has misleadingly said something like, ‘You’ll feel a pinch’ or ‘It’s all in your head’ or even, ‘This won’t hurt’.”