WHO
- World Health Organization Moves to Reduce Gender Inequalities
MANILA,
Philippines, July 2, 2008 /Xinhua-PRNewswire - The World Health
Organization (WHO) today emphasized that measures can be taken to reduce
inequalities in health arising from societal norms about what is considered
appropriate for men and women.
“Gender
often has a major impact on how long people live and how healthy they will be
throughout their life," said Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Director of the
Division of Health Sector Development for the Western Pacific. “While there have
been impressive improvements in health and well-being in the Western Pacific
Region, progress has not always been even among men and women, or among boys
and girls."
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific aims to help countries
understand what needs to be done to address differences in the health of men
and women with a newly released publication, Integrating Poverty and Gender
into Health Programmes: A Sourcebook for Health Professionals-Foundational
Module on Gender.
In the Region, gender can affect men’s and women’s health in the following
ways:
-- Men and women usually perform different tasks, so they are exposed
to different health risks. For example, women are responsible for
cooking, so they have more exposure to high levels of indoor smoke.
Men venture into the forests, increasing their exposure to
mosquitoes.
-- Norms about "manliness" may pose risks to men’s health. For
example, men may consider it "unmanly" to use condoms, even for
paid
sex or sex with their partners, exposing them to greater risk to
sexually transmitted infections.
-- Women usually have weaker control over a household’s money or means
of transportation, reducing their ability to access health services
when sick.
-- Women typically have unequal decision-making power in the household,
which can constrain their ability to protect their health and the
health of their family members. For example, the decision to purchase
and use a bednet may be considered a man’s decision. Also, women may
be unable to refuse sex, or insist that their partner use condoms.
-- Domestic violence and rape are particularly grave manifestations of
discrimination against women. The stigma involved results in neglect
of this important health issue.
These health inequities can be reduced through actions based on gender
analysis, which identifies the relationship between men and women, what
defines their behaviour and the constraints they might face. It takes into
account the differences in their roles, access and control over resources,
power and decision-making, and how these influence their health.
Health professionals, therefore, need to be equipped with the knowledge,
skills and tools to respond more effectively to the health needs of men and
women. However, this is not always the case.
The publication outlines the links between gender and health inequities,
provides reasons why health professionals need to be concerned about such
inequities, and suggests actions they can take to reduce them. “We hope that
this document will help policy-makers and health professionals in the Region
know what needs to be done to reduce health inequities based on gender,” said
Dr Bekedam.
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