Minority populations are groups of people who aren’t the dominant or
majority population where they live or work. A person can be a minority because
of age, gender, class, ethnic background, ability, sexual orientation, or other
factors. People who are part of a minority can experience a lot of stress from
the discrimination and negative attitudes they face from others.
It can be hard for minority populations to find health care providers and services
that are sensitive to their specific needs and who won’t discriminate
against them. Because of this, people in minority groups may feel that they
don’t want to go through the stress of looking for a health care provider.
They are afraid to be treated unfairly. Sometimes this means that people in
minority groups go without proper health care.
Barriers for age minority groups
Teens and seniors may have similar barriers to deal with. These may include:
- transportation difficulties
- limited clinic hours
- society’s negative attitudes about teens’ or seniors’
sexuality
- lack of money for medication
- embarrassment about talking about sexual concerns with their health
care providers
Barriers for minority groups based on sexual and gender orientation
(Gay /Lesbian/ Bisexual/ Transgendered/ Intersexed/ Two Spirited/ Questioning)
The barriers that LGBTQ people face can include:
- health care professionals assuming that a patient is heterosexual
- assumptions that lesbian women are safe from sexually transmitted infections
or HIV/AIDS
- fear of unfair treatment because they are LGBTQ
- people being expected to teach health care providers about being transgendered
or intersexed before their health concerns can be addressed (especially when
their health concerns aren’t related to their sexual or gender identity, i.e. they have
a sore throat)
- forms that only provide gender options of male or female.
These concerns may keep people from being open with health care providers about
their sexual orientation or gender identity. This can put a patient’s
health at risk because the health care provider has to make decisions based
on incomplete information.
Barriers for ethnic minority groups
The barriers that face some ethnic groups can include:
- language barriers
- different attitudes, values and beliefs about sexuality than their
health care providers
- fear of prejudices
- if they are new Canadians, they may not have knowledge of the services
that are available
- if they are new Canadians, they may not have health insurance that
covers some costs.
When patients and health care providers can’t understand each other,
the risk of illness, inadequate care and complications goes up.
Barriers for minority groups based on physical ability
People with physical disabilities also face challenges. These barriers can
include things like:
- inaccessible clinics and doctor’s offices
- the myth that people with disabilities aren’t sexual beings
- a lack of understanding about disability and sexuality by some health
care providers
- a lack of privacy for those in group homes which may lead to less safe
sexual practices
- It can be harder for some people with physical disabilities to practice
safer sex (e.g. putting on a condom) because of possible disability-related
dexterity problems.
What can people do to remove these barriers?
Health care providers can:
- remind clients that all their information is confidential
- keep from making assumptions about people’s sexual orientation
- start discussions of sexual health matters with their patients, regardless
of their age or ability
- have interpretation services available for patients who don’t
speak English or French
- make sure that all doors are power-operated to allow for easier access.
- become educated about transgendered and intersexed people
- be willing to admit to clients that they don’t have all of the
information they need, but will do everything they can to get informed
- put rainbow stickers or other identifiers where they can be easily
seen to show that the office is a Gay/ Lesbian/ Bisexual/ Transgender/Intersexed/
Two Spirited/ Questioning-friendly space
- provide sensitivity training to all staff to make sure that their offices
are positive places for clients.
Patients can:
- be as honest as possible with health care providers.
- ask questions when they don’t understand what’s going on
or what they’re being told
- talk to their health care providers about their concerns about the
barriers to sexual health
- make a list of questions to ask during an appointment, so they can
make sure that their health care provider isn’t judgemental about age,
orientation, ethnicity or ability
- talk to others from their communities to ask for referrals for unbiased
and trustworthy health care providers.
Additional Resources
Being
sex positive: promoting young people's sexual health – Planned
Parenthood Edmonton (PPE)
Developing
understanding from young women's experiences in obtaining sexual health services
and education in a Nova Scotia community: lessons for educators, physicians
and pharmacies – Atlantic
Centre of Excellence for Women's Health (ACEWH)
Growing
pains: sexual development in teens with disabilities – Canadian
Abilities Foundation (CAF)
How
to talk about sexuality to young people with disabilities: tips for service
providers – BC
Institute Against Family Violence (BCIFV)
What
about addressing sexual orientation – Planned
Parenthood Edmonton (PPE)
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