Written evidence from the Gender & Sexualities Research Centre (GSRC) at City, University of London for Women’s Health Strategy

• We have looked at the impact of the pandemic on access to healthcare services in England, focusing on ethnic minority and migrant women. We have found that existing barriers faced by these women when seeking healthcare have been exacerbated by the pandemic. • The intersection of someone’s gender, race and immigration status raises a number of specific issues when it comes to access to healthcare, which is the focus of this submission. • Under the core themes of the call for evidence, issues include health literacy and cultural barriers (Information and education on women’s health, paragraphs 13-16), racialised medical perceptions and stigma (Women’s voices, paragraphs 8-12; Research, evidence and data, paragraphs 26-28), economic and financial barriers (Women’s health in the workplace, paragraph 22-25), legal barriers relating to immigration status (Women’s health across the life course, paragraphs 17-21) and the COVID-19 public health crisis that has deepened these long existing issues (Impact of COVID-19 on women’s health, paragraphs 29-40).