Elsevier

Social Science & Medicine

Volume 43, Issue 5, September 1996, Pages 707-720
Social Science & Medicine

Gender perspectives and quality of care: Towards appropriate and adequate health care for women

https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(96)00115-3Get rights and content

Abstract

Gender inequalities in health are a consequence of the basic inequality between men and women in many societies. Despite the importance of socio-economic factors, women's health is also greatly affected by the extent and quality of health services available to them. Both non-governmental women's organizations and feminist health researchers have in recent years identified major gender inequalities in access to services and in the way men and women are treated by the health care system. Firstly, although women are major health care users as well as providers, they are under-represented in decision-making in health care. Secondly, no justice is done in general to existing differences in position and needs of women and men in defining quality of health care, i.e. gender aspects. Among women's organizations, there is general agreement that “gender sensitive health care should be available, accessible, affordable, appropriate and acceptable”. In addition, health care for women should be adequate and not depart from a male model of health and illness. In this paper, we pay attention to inappropriate health care for women on the one hand, as illustrated by the increasing medicalization of women's reproductive life [menstruation, menopause, pregnancy and childbirth and (in)fertility]. On the other hand, we discuss gender bias in the management of serious, life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and kidney failure, as a form of inadequate care. These examples are followed by a global vision on quality of care from a gender perspective, as formulated by the women's health care movement in the Netherlands and at the Fourth International Conference on Women in Beijing. If anything, the recommendations agreed upon in Beijing will have to ensure the consolidation and enhancement of good quality health care for women around the world. The final discussion, attempts to give some general recommendations for achieving more adequate (gender sensitive) and appropriate (non-medicalizing) health care for women. These recommendations pertain to health and health care research, policy, education, and organization from a women's perspective.

References (75)

  • V. Navarro

    Women in health care

    New Engl. J. Med.

    (1975)
  • United Nations

    Platform for Action

  • L.S. Fidell

    Sex role stereotypes and the American physician

    Psychol. Wom. Q.

    (1979–1980)
  • J.N. Clark

    Sexism, feminism and medicalism: a decade review of literature on gender and illness

    Sociol. Hlth Illness

    (1983)
  • Wemos and TransAct

    Quality of care from women's perspective

    Discussion paper 16__10.RAP.95001.01

    (July 1995)
  • Dutch Platform for Women and Health
  • Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs of the American Medical Association

    Gender disparities in clinical decision making

    Jama

    (1991)
  • C. Vlassof

    Gender inequalities in health in the Third World: uncharted ground

    Soc. Sci. Med.

    (1994)
  • Apa Conference

    Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women's Health: Creating an Agenda for the 21st Century

    (1994)
  • C.C. Nadelson

    Ethics, empathy, and gender in health care

    Am. J. Psychiat.

    (1993)
  • L.M. Verbrugge

    Multiple roles and physical health of women and men

    J. Hlth soc. Behav.

    (1983)
  • L.M. Verbrugge

    Role burdens and physical health of women and men

    Women Hlth

    (1986)
  • United Nations
  • G. Kleiverda et al.

    Een agenda voor gezondheid in Beijing

    Vrouw Gezondheidszorg

    (1995)
  • World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, Lifestyles and Health Department

    Investing in Women's Health

  • National Council of Public Health

    Discussienota Begrippenkader Kwaliteit Beroepsuitoefening

    (1991)
  • Ministry of Welfare, Health and Cultural Affairs

    The Quality of Care

    Fact Sheet V-6-E

    (1993)
  • C.M.T. Gijsbers van Wijk

    Sex differences in symptom perception

  • H. Lamberts

    Morbidity in General Practice

  • Ministry of Social Affairs

    From Naïrobi to Beijing: Report of the measures taken in the Netherlands to implement the Naïrobi Forward Looking Strategy

    (1985–1995)
  • N.G. Kutner et al.

    Sex stereotypes and health care: the case of treatment for kidney failure

    Sex Roles

    (1990)
  • C.M. Kjellstrand et al.

    Racial, sexual and age inequalities in chronic dialysis

    Nephron

    (1987)
  • P.J. Held et al.

    Access to kidney transplantation, has the United States eliminated income and racial differences?

    Arch. intern. Med.

    (1988)
  • C.K. Wells et al.

    Detection bias in the diagnostic pursuit of lung cancer

    Am. J. Epid.

    (1988)
  • J.N. Tobin et al.

    Sex bias in considering coronary bypass surgery

    Ann. intern. Med.

    (1987)
  • World Health Organization

    World Health Statistics Annual 1994

    (1995)
  • Cited by (126)

    • Research on gender differences in online health communities

      2018, International Journal of Medical Informatics
    • Immigrant assimilation in health care utilisation in Spain

      2023, European Journal of Health Economics
    • Gender-Responsive Governance in Sierra Leone: The Transitions and Logic of Inequality

      2023, Gender-Responsive Governance in Sierra Leone: The Transitions and Logic of Inequality
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text