GENDER AND HEALTH

CONCEPT OF GENDER AND HEALTH

The concept of gender distinguishes between biological sex and the social constrictions of
masculinity and femininity. This distinguishes has helped researchers to analyze the health status
between men and women

Researchers use the concept of gender to study the impact of women’s status in society on their
health and health care. There is need to know the economic social and political mechanisms of
prejudice and discrimination that lead to ill-health and poor health care for women and men.
How sex and gender influence health
Sex and gender interact in complex ways to affect health outcomes. Sex can affect disease risk,
progression and outcomes through genetic (e.g. function of X and Y chromosomes), cellular and
physiological, including hormonal, pathways. These pathways can produce differences in
susceptibility to disease, progression of disease, treatment and health outcomes, and are likely to
vary over the life-course. For example, data shows that men experience more severe COVID-19
outcomes in terms of hospitalizations and deaths than women. This is, in part, explained by
higher quantities of angiotensin-converting enzyme found in men, which binds to the SARS-
COV2 virus.

Gender norms, socialization, roles, differentials in power relations and in access to and control
over resources contribute to differences in vulnerabilities and susceptibilities to illness, how
illness is experienced, health behaviours (including health-seeking), access to and uptake of
health services, treatment responses and health outcomes. For example, gender can determine
health risks faced and taken. Data show that men’s increased risk of acquiring SARS-COV2, is
also linked to their lower rates of handwashing, higher rates of smoking and alcohol misuse and,
related to that – higher comorbidities for severe COVID-19 symptoms as compared to women.

Differences in health and illness patterns of men and women are attributable both to sex or
biology and to gender i.e. social factors such as

 Powerlessness

 Access to resources

 Constrained roles

LINKING GENDER TO HEALTH

Gender has implications for health across the course of every person’s life. Gender can influence
a person’s experiences of crises and emergency situations, their exposure to diseases and their
access to healthcare, water, hygiene and sanitation.
Gender inequality disproportionately affects women and girls. In most societies, they have lower
status and have less control over decision-making about their bodies, in their intimate
relationships, families and communities, exposing them to violence, coercion and harmful
practices. Women and girls face high risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted
infections including HIV, cervical cancer, malnutrition and depression, amongst others. Gender
inequality also poses barriers for women and girls to access health information and critical
services, including restrictions on mobility, lack of decision-making autonomy, limited access to
finances, lower literacy rates and discriminatory attitudes of healthcare providers.

Gender diverse people are more likely to experience violence and coercion, stigma and
discrimination, including from health workers. Data suggests that transgender individuals
experience high levels of mental health illness – linked to the discrimination and stigma they
face from societies and in healthcare settings
Specific link of gender and health

Gender differences in women‟s and men‟s roles and responsibilities, and gender inequities in
access to resources, information and power, are reflected in gender differences and
inequalities in women‟s and men‟s:
 vulnerability to illness
 health status
 access to preventative and curative measures
 burdens of ill-health
 quality of care

GENDER HEALTH VULNERABILITIES

Examples of gender health vulnerabilities

women
 Gender inequality and discrimination faced by women and girls puts their health and
well-being at risk. Women and girls often face greater barriers than men and boys to
accessing health information and services. These barriers include restrictions on mobility;
lack of access to decision-making power; lower literacy rates; discriminatory attitudes of
communities and healthcare providers; and lack of training and awareness amongst
healthcare providers and health systems of the specific health needs and challenges of
women and girls.

 Consequently, women and girls face greater risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually
transmitted infections including HIV, cervical cancer, malnutrition, lower vision,
respiratory infections, malnutrition and elder abuse, amongst others. Women and girls
also face unacceptably high levels of violence rooted in gender inequality and are at
grave risk of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and child, early and
forced marriage. WHO figures show that about 1 in 3 women worldwide have
experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual
violence in their lifetime.
 1) Powerlessness and lack of control underlies much of the exposure to HIV/AIDS
amongst women

2) Gender inequalities as well as biological factors make women and girls more
vulnerable to diseases/poor health

3) Gender norms influence women and girls vulnerability i.e. in many places these
norms allow men to have more sexual partners than women contributing to higher
infection rates among young women comparing to young men

4) Violence(physical, sexual and emotional)on women also increase their vulnerability

5) Lack of access to educational opportunities and lack of economic security and equal
protection under law contribution to women vulnerability e.g. HIV, malnutrition and
rape

6) Disproportionate barriers in access to resources such as food education and

medical care disadvantage women through the developing world.
Men
 Harmful gender norms – especially those related to rigid notions of masculinity – can
also affect boys and men’s health and wellbeing negatively. For example, specific notions
of masculinity may encourage boys and men to smoke, take sexual and other health risks,
misuse alcohol and not seek help or health care. Such gender norms also contribute to
boys and men perpetrating violence – as well as being subjected to violence themselves.
They can also have grave implications for their mental health.

THE IMPACT OF GENDER HEALTH VULNERABILITES

1) It minimizes the chances for employing women

`
2) It reduces productivity

3) Increased mortality rate

4) It increases vulnerability in opportunistic infection

5) The government, NGO spend a lot of resources in women cases

CAUSES OF GENDER HEALTH VULNERABILITIES

1) Rigid cultures

2) Retrogressive practices

3) Ignorance
 4) Illiteracy

5) Poverty

6) Inadequate resources

INTERVENTION MEASURES

 Gender-integrated interventions: These interventions aim to address gender inequalities

and promote gender equity in reproductive and maternal-child health. They have been
found to delay age at marriage, increase the use of family planning, reduce child stunting,
and reduce maternal and child mortality
.
 Gender equality interventions: These interventions focus on male involvement, women's
empowerment, and addressing gender roles to promote gender equality in sexual and
reproductive health programs and policies
 Gender equality in health means that women and men are on an equal footing to fully
exercise their rights and potential to be healthy, contribute to health development, and
benefit from outcomes.

 Gender mainstreaming: This is the process of assessing the impact on men and women of
any planned action, including legislation, policies, and programs, to ensure that gender
differences in health and their determinants are addressed and actively promote equality
between women and men

.
 Addressing gender bias in clinical practice: Interventions to overcome or reduce gender
bias in clinical practice have been successful in reducing gender disparities in clinical
practice. These interventions include education and training, gender-sensitive guidelines,
and gender-sensitive communication

 Promoting gender equality through health: This involves addressing gender inequality in
health outcomes, including vulnerability to HIV, through policies and programs that
promote gender equality and equity in health