It's believed to affect millions of Australians. But some with chronic pain conditions say they're facing stigma and discrimination when they request flexible working arrangements.
Jasmine was forced to quit her previous job at a government agency in rural Queensland when she started to be excluded by her team leader. The 39-year-old said the treatment started after she disclosed her narcolepsy and chronic pain, and requested to work from home to manage her condition. "There was a definite negative shift towards me by that team leader after I disclosed and a sense of unhappiness from them about my ability to work from home," she said.
"They do miss days of work because of their chronic pain but they just don't feel like people actually understand them." Nearly half of women report stigma from health professionals regarding their chronic pain, according to a 2024 report by Chronic Pain Australia. It also found that women and non-binary respondents face even longer delays in diagnosis, with nearly half of women and almost 60 per cent of non-binary respondents waiting more than three years.
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