A powerful call to confront the reasons why politics is jeopardising women’s health across the world, by a prize-winning academic

‘Harman delivers her devastating diagnosis with a powerful prescription for change’ Observer Book of the Week

‘An important, timely and often fascinating book’ Sunday Independent

‘A powerful and inspiring must-read’ Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women

We know the causes of disease and death among women all over the world. We have the funding from governments and philanthropists to tackle them. So why are women still dying when they don’t have to?

Across the globe, women’s health is being caught in the crossfire of politics: from the repeal of abortion rights and the bombing of Ukrainian maternity hospitals, to lesser-known issues like healthwashing and the exploitation of vulnerable patients as well as women health workers.

Exploring urgent questions including populism, big data and the undervaluing of women’s work, Sick of It also offers smart solutions on how to fix this crisis through activism and political work.

‘Radical and thought-provoking, this book should drive us all to action – and the author tells us how’ Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain

‘A very powerful read’ Lucy Easthope, author of When The Dust Settles

‘Illuminating, accessible and important’ Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan, author of Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing

‘Sophie Harman has gathered both the disturbing and heartbreaking facts and the vital possibilities open to all of us for action and engagement’ Stella Duffy, OBE

Author Biography

Sophie Harman is a Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary University of London with over fifteen years of experience working on global health politics. She’s worked in/with Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, Geneva and Washington DC, UN Women, the Fawcett Society, and advised the UK govt on the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s written for the Guardian, Independent, New Statesman, The Conversation, and Tortoise, and has appeared as an expert on television and radio for BBC News, BBC Wales, LBC, and BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2016 she was selected to join the BBC’s Expert Women programme. In 2019 she was nominated for a BAFTA for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer for the narrative feature film she co-wrote and produced, Pili.