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The Department of Gender, Women and Health
(GWH)
GWH brings attention to the ways in which biological and social
differences between women and men affect health and the steps needed
to achieve health equity.
The main focus of GWH is to promote the inclusion of gender
perspectives in the work of the WHO by collaborating with other
departments and regional and country offices. It aims to increase
knowledge of gender issues by conducting selected research, training
and advocacy on how socio-cultural factors and discrimination affect
health.
While gender affects the health of both men and women, the
department places special emphasis on the health consequences of
discrimination against women that exist in nearly every culture.
Powerful barriers including poverty, unequal power relationships
between men and women, and lack of education prevent millions of
women around the world from having access to health care and from
attaining — and maintaining — the best possible health.
MAIN STRATEGIES
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Increase knowledge and evidence on how sex differences and
gender inequalities impact upon specific health problems, health
services and successful responses;
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Develop tools to promote and expand health sector policies,
interventions and programmes at the regional and country level
that systematically address gender concerns, including
gender-based violence;
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Develop skills and build capacity within and outside of WHO in
order to promote policies and programmes that are more responsive
to barriers affecting women's and men's ability to lead healthy
lives and receive and benefit from health care services;
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Improve public understanding of gender issues by developing
advocacy materials and activities;
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Create awareness and provide support to WHO Member States to
design and promote gender-sensitive health policies and
strategies.
MAIN AREAS OF WORK
GENDER-BASED
VIOLENCE AND GENDER ASPECTS OF HIV/AIDS
Violence against Women (VAW) and HIV/AIDS are key, yet
insufficiently addressed areas where gender-based
discrimination affects women's health. Work relating to this
theme includes: a multi-country study on women's health and
violence; the Sexual Violence Research Initiative; the
development of guidelines for gender sensitive HIV/AIDS
programmes; and an initiative to improve the health of women
in emergency settings.
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INTEGRATING GENDER
INTO HEALTH POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES
It is essential to translate knowledge into concrete
actions to correct health inequities faced by men and women.
Tools currently being developed include: technical support
materials and curricula, resource kits, on-line training
modules, and documenting "best practices". Emerging areas of
work include the role of men and boys on gender and health
equity and the use of gender-sensitive indicators and
sex-disaggregated data.
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Frequently Asked Questions - What
do we mean by "sex" and "gender"?
- Why
gender and health?
- Why
gender and women's health?
- What
is "gender mainstreaming"?
WHO Gender Policy 2002 - Click
here
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