Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Conclusion 23
12th Report – Menstrual health of girls and young women
Published 4 Mar 2026
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Reproductive health conditions: girls and young women All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Discriminatory attitudes and assumptions about the pain tolerances of women from some racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly Black women, persist. This is wholly unacceptable. Racial discrimination by healthcare professionals must be vigorously rooted out. It is deeply disappointing that robust action to tackle this pernicious problem has not yet been taken. Steps to address racial discrimination must be included in the renewed Women’s Health Strategy. Compulsory training on avoiding racial biases in women’s health must be core components of training programmes for nurses and doctors. (Recommendation, Paragraph 102)
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 12th Report – Menstrual health of girls and young women (HC 1265), 4 March 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 26 May 2026 (deadline 4 May 2026).