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Gender equity in health: debates and dilemmas

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  • Doyal, Lesley

Abstract

Gender equity is increasingly cited as a goal of health policy but there is considerable confusion about what this could mean either in theory or in practice. If policies for the promotion of gender equity are to be realisable their goal must be the equitable distribution of health related resources. This requires careful identification of the similarities and differences in the health needs of men and women. It also necessitates an analysis of the gendered obstacles that currently prevent men and women from realising their potential for health. This article explores the impact of gender divisions on the health and the health care of both women and men and draws out some of the policy implications of this analysis. It outlines a three point agenda for change. This includes policies to ensure universal access to reproductive health care, to reduce gender inequalities in access to resources and to relax the constraints of rigidly defined gender roles. The article concludes with a brief overview of the practical and political dilemmas that the implementation of such policies would impose.

Suggested Citation

  • Doyal, Lesley, 2000. "Gender equity in health: debates and dilemmas," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 931-939, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:51:y:2000:i:6:p:931-939
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dixon, Jenna & Luginaah, Isaac & Mkandawire, Paul, 2014. "The National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana's Upper West Region: A gendered perspective of insurance acquisition in a resource-poor setting," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 103-112.
    2. Iffath Unissa Syed, 2021. "Remittance Flows from Healthcare Workers in Toronto, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Emslie, Carol & Hunt, Kate, 2008. "The weaker sex? Exploring lay understandings of gender differences in life expectancy: A qualitative study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 808-816, September.
    4. Jasmine Gideon, 2016. "Migration and Health: Examining the Linkages through a Gender Lens," Working Papers id:8247, eSocialSciences.
    5. Ewig, Christina & Palmucci, Gastón A., 2012. "Inequality and the Politics of Social Policy Implementation: Gender, Age and Chile’s 2004 Health Reforms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(12), pages 2490-2504.
    6. Van den Brink, Marieke, 2011. "Scouting for talent: Appointment practices of women professors in academic medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(12), pages 2033-2040, June.
    7. Briones-Vozmediano, Erica & Vives-Cases, Carmen & Peiró-Pérez, Rosana, 2012. "Gender sensitivity in national health plans in Latin America and the European Union," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(1), pages 88-96.
    8. Gkiouleka, Anna & Huijts, Tim, 2020. "Intersectional migration-related health inequalities in Europe: Exploring the role of migrant generation, occupational status & gender," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    9. Marta Gil‐Lacruz & Ana I. Gil‐Lacruz, 2010. "Health Perception and Health Care Access: Sex Differences in Behaviors and Attitudes," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(2), pages 783-801, April.
    10. Mansdotter, Anna & Lindholm, Lars & Ohman, Ann, 2004. "Women, men and public health--how the choice of normative theory affects resource allocation," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 351-364, September.
    11. Ana Gil-Lacruz & Marta Gil-Lacruz & María Isabel Saz-Gil, 2020. "Socially Active Aging and Self-Reported Health: Building a Sustainable Solidarity Ecosystem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, March.
    12. Santosh Jatrana, 2021. "Gender differences in self-reported health and psychological distress among New Zealand adults," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(21), pages 693-726.
    13. Ewig, Christina & Bello, Amparo Hernández, 2009. "Gender equity and health sector reform in Colombia: Mixed state-market model yields mixed results," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1145-1152, March.
    14. Bila, Blandine & Egrot, Marc, 2009. "Gender asymmetry in healthcare-facility attendance of people living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 854-861, September.
    15. Huixia Liu & Linxiu Zhang & Gale Summerfield & Yaojiang Shi, 2009. "A gendered view of reforming health care access for farmers in China," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(2), pages 194-211, January.
    16. Asanin, Jennifer & Wilson, Kathi, 2008. ""I spent nine years looking for a doctor": Exploring access to health care among immigrants in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(6), pages 1271-1283, March.
    17. Chiara Rollero & Silvia Gattino & Norma De Piccoli, 2014. "A Gender Lens on Quality of Life: The Role of Sense of Community, Perceived Social Support, Self-Reported Health and Income," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 887-898, May.
    18. Aitken, Zoe & Garrett, Cameryn C. & Hewitt, Belinda & Keogh, Louise & Hocking, Jane S. & Kavanagh, Anne M., 2015. "The maternal health outcomes of paid maternity leave: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 32-41.

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