WUNRN
EWL – European Women’s Lobby - http://womenlobby.org/spip.php?article7167&lang=fr
EWL-A Holistic Approach for the Highest Standards of Wellbeing &
Health for All
EWL FACTSHEET on WOMEN & HEALTH
[Brussels, 1 April 2015] Did you know that one in ten women in Europe
doesn’t have access to care in the first months of pregnancy ? That
abortion is still not legal in Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and Poland, forcing women
to face the health risks of unsafe illegal abortion ? That between the
ages of 25 and 40, women are three times more likely than men to suffer from
depression, the higher rate being at times when they have their babies ?
In April, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) focuses on Women and Health,
as part of its Beijing+20 campaign. Read and share EWL’s factsheet on Women and Health, which is
part of EWL report “From words to action” and comprise our key
demands to the European Union and the Member States.
All our members mobilise throughout Europe to make 2015 a critical year
towards the realisation of all commitments of the Beijing Platform for Action.
Women and girls rights cannot wait 20 more years to enjoy their full women’s
rights ! At all levels, you can take action. Contact our member organisations, join us by following
us on social media, disseminating our factsheets and report, coming to our
events and the activities of our members if you can !
Women and Health & the European Union
Health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, are crucial conditions for
the full development of every human being. Health is more than a biological
issue : according to the World Health Organization, it represents “a state
of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity”. However, women and girls have specific health needs,
which are not yet understood and integrated into European and national
policies.
On the one hand, biological differences imply that women have particular
health concerns and needs, especially related to their sexual and reproductive
health. On the other hand, the social construct of gender and women’s roles and
stereotypes impacts on women’s representation of their own health, on their
access to health and health care, and women’s heath itself (for example, the
prevalence of violence against women).
In addition to this, age, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or
identity, resources, education, social and marital status, position in the
labour market, place of residence, the level of gender equality in society and
other attributes influence women’s health needs and access to health. Moreover,
women’s and girls’ health is also endangered by the unawareness of gender
aspects among health care professionals, which can lead to gender bias in
medicine.
Promoting and guaranteeing women’s and girls’ highest standards of health
are a precondition for the enjoyement of their full human rights.
Read EWL position paper on women’s health in Europe
(2010).
EWL demands - A holistic approach for the highest standards of wellbeing
and health for all