GENDER AND

HEALTH
Outline

■ Define gender and health

■ Describe connections between gender and health of men and women
■ Influence of gender on health
What is Health, Gender?

■ Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity (WHO)
■ Sex-genetic/physiological or biological differences/characteristics which indicate
whether one is male or female
■ Gender- Refers to women's and men's roles and responsibilities that are socially
determined. Gender is related to how we are perceived and expected to think and act as
women and men because of the way society is organised, not because of our biological
difference
■ Socially constructed roles, behaviors, attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women
What is Health, Gender?

■ Gender equality- Absence of discrimination on the basis of a person's sex in

opportunities and the allocation of resources or benefits or in access to services
■ Gender equity- Fairness and justice in the distribution of benefits and responsibilities
between women and men
■ Public Health- The organized global and local effort to promote and protect the health
of populations and to reduce health inequalities. 
■ Gender is about relations between men and women, men and men, women and women.
How these relationships are socially constructed
Sex or Gender

Life expectancy at 60is the average number of years hat a person at that age can be expected
Sex or Gender?
Sex or Gender?
■ Work: Nurses, Engineer, Bus driver, secretary, doctors?
■ Reproduction
■ Maternity or paternal leave
■ Decision making
■ Emotions
■ Anatomy
■ Life expectancy
Swedish Parental leave

■ Entitled to 480 days of paid leave

■ Each parent has a right to 90 days
Gender and Health
■ Gender has implications for health across a persons life in terms of norms, roles and
relations
■ Influences a persons risk taking and health seeking behaviour, exposure to health risks
and vulnerability to diseases
■ Shapes experience of health
How does gender influence health of
women?
Cultural/Traditional practices-Women
■ Marriage-early, forced
■ Female genital mutilations, cuttings
■ Family violence-honour
Access to Services

■ Availability, accessibility, quality

■ Discrimination-reproductive services
■ Cost
Violence against Women

■ Major public health problem and violation of women's rights

■ Intimate partner violence is the most prevalent
■ Intimate partner violence is behaviour by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes
physical, sexual or psychological harm
■ Low education, child abuse, history of family violence, attitudes in accepting violence,
subordinate status (community norms) increase likelihood of women experiencing
violence
Violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women
Gender and Health-Men

Cultural/Traditional:
■ Masculinity, societal role of men, strive to conform
■ Traditional expectations of masculinity increase men’s vulnerability to serious health
risks
■ Makes them less inclined to seek health care when needed
■ Higher prevalence of risky behaviour-alcohol, smoking, accidents
Gender and Health-Men

■ Access to Services: Focus on women and children, fear to be portrayed as weak,

■ Violence against men: Failure to comply with masculinity, gender diverse