The plight of prestige: The subjective experiences of women managing chronic physical illnesses and their emotional well-being in the context of the prestige hierarchy.

Abstract

Chronic illnesses, such as Diabetes and Epilepsy, impact millions globally. Despite the burden of chronic illnesses, a medical hierarchy exists, with many illnesses undervalued in society, hence allocated minimal research funding. This bias disproportionately affects health outcomes for women. This research provides a novel exploration into the lives of women with chronic illnesses of varying levels of prestige, examining commonalities and variations among their illness experience, and the coping strategies they employ to manage their emotional well-being. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Two superordinate themes were developed: "A fractured reality" and "A restrained reality." Commonalities across the narrative were manifested in structural inequalities and coping strategies, however, illnesses lower on the prestige hierarchy were evident with an existential conflict with the illness identity. This research demonstrates the structural discrimination of the gender construct and the disparities experienced by women with conditions of lower prestige.