SUFFERING IN SILENCE

A NEW INQUIRY HAS BEEN LAUNCHED INTO THE 'GENDER PAIN GAP'

Australian women have been quietly living with pain for decades. But change is finally afoot.

An inquiry into women's pain is set to be held in Victoria; the first of its kind Australia-wide. It comes after a survey conducted with Victorian women revealed that two in five respondents suffer from chronic pain.

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan wasn't surprised by the survey results. She has been vocal about her own struggles with endometriosis, a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it.

"The survey is so important because it's about drawing on those experiences of women - hearing those stories and recognising that there is a 'gender pain gap"," Ms Allan tells New Idea.

"This won't be a mic drop moment for the majority of Victoria's population, because every woman has either experienced it for herself or knows someone who has. But now we have the evidence to prove it."