Abstract

ESTRADA M, John Harold. Gender and health: a necessary articulation, an undeferable challenge. Rev. Fac. Nac. Salud Pública [online]. 2005, vol.23, n.1, pp.71-77. ISSN 0120-386X.

The gender perspective is presented throughout this article as a means of analysis of health situation as well as the necessary articulation between gender and health categories in order to understand the differentials in women’s health with respect to that of men. The imminence of utilizing health status indicators through gender perspective is proposed. This is conceived as a theoretical construction that shows absolute or relative figures that reflect differences in terms of health between women and men due mainly to socio-cultural characteristics or variables when they are applied to units of analysis in a certain population. When the epidemiological information of morbidity and mortality for men and women which is available to examination is studied, an enclosed huge percentage of problems of great prevalence and incidence on both sexes is found. Thus, for instance, that women are exposed to extreme conditions of lack of resources for their double or treble day’s work in many societies, and that men show an over mortality due to accidents and violence, all of this visible along their lives, strongly associated with stereotyped male attitudes and behaviors such as aggressiveness, bravery, audacity and an excessive ingestion of alcohol. It is recommended to give special attention to those processes underlying the unhealthy lives of women and men which transcend the biomedical individualism, as well as to study the social and historical forces that generate disadvantages when enjoying good health because of gender reasons, going from individual to collective boundaries.

Keywords : Gender perspective; women’s health; men’s health; health status indicators; gender identity.

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