1.3.1 AWHN Conference 2010 Chancellor 2:
Health inequities: where does gender fit in?
Anne Kavanagh
Director, The Centre for Women’s Health, Gender and Society
Melbourne School of Population Health
The University of Melbourne
Call Girls Service Nandiambakkam | 7001305949 At Low Cost Cash Payment Booking
1.3.1 Anne Kavanagh
1. Health inequities: where does
gender fit in?
Anne Kavanagh
Director, The Centre for Women’s Health, Gender and
Society
Melbourne School of Population Health
The University of Melbourne
3. Gender Equity/
Inequity
• “Fairness and justice in the distribution of
benefits and responsibilities between
women and men (World Health
Organization 2001)”.
• Social and material resources and
decision-making powers of households,
communities or countries should be fairly
and justly distributed between men and
women.
4. Gender, SE & Health
• Do the relationships between health and
socio-economic circumstances vary by
gender?
• How does gender equity affect health and
do this relationships differ by gender?
5. SEP and health, relationships by gender
• And the answers is: Well it depends… on the
outcome
– Strong relative socio-economic differences between
education and income and obesity for women but not for
men. Longitudinally women and men in lower status
occupations have greater weight gain perhaps stronger
for women.
– Relative socio-economic inequalities in all-cause
mortality, cancer mortality, mortality from external causes
greater for men while social gradient for CVD mortality is
larger for women (Saurel-Cubizolles, 2009)
– Stronger SEP gradients for metabolic syndrome in
women. The gradient was better explained by health
behaviours for women (Louks, 2007)
6. SEP and health, relationships by
gender
and it depends on the socio-economic measure
Household social control and social position and
incidence CHD
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Low household social control Low household social
position
Hazardratio
men
women
Chandola et al. Social Science & Medicine 58 (2004) 1501–1509
7. Gender and socio-economic
disadvantage shape health
• Women are more likely to be in precarious
employment
• Women in precariously employed are 12
times more likely to experience sexual
harassment at work than the permanent
employees (Lamontagne 2009)
8. Relationships between health and socio-
economic circumstances (health selection)
• Obesity
– National Longitudinal Study of Youth, US. For
white women, increase 2 standard deviations
from mean weight (+ 64 pounds) was
associated with 9% reduction in wages
(equivalent to 1.5 years education, 3 years
work) (Cawley 2004)
– Several other studies including Hammarström
A, et al. Soc Sci Med. 2005
10. More evidence
• Female life expectancy increases with increases in
women status incl. educational status, economic
status, reproductive autonomy (Soci Sci Med
1997;45(2):305-17
• Maternal mortality rates: increases in women’s
status incl. education, age of first marriage,
reproductive autonomy associated with reduced
maternal mortality and multinational corporate
investment associated with increases in mat
mortality (Soc Sci Med 1997;49(2):197-214)
11. Gender equity and men and
women’s drinking
• Men in all countries drink more than
women
• Gender differences in alcohol
consumption decreased with
modernisation and with increased gender
equity
(Rahav, 2006)
12. Conclusion
• So does gender matter for understanding
socio-economic inequalities in health
– YES and in many different ways
Hinweis der Redaktion
sex/gender; socio-economic disadvantaged and health are linked
Journey through a terrain that has been surprisingly absent of theoretical and empirical investigation although perhaps each parts of the puzzle have been unpacked in different ways, each relying on different theoretical and disciplinary traditions.
Diagramatic representation
Venn diagram represents each of these fields as stand alone concepts which each intersect with one another.
pace that occupies the intersection of sex, gender and health has led to research that considers the differences and similarities in women and men’s health and the ways in which gendered behaviours, exposures and vulnerabilities shape the health of men and women.
gender and socio-economic disadvantage leads to thinking about the ways in which poverty is gendered or notions such as gender equity in education or political participation.
space where socio-economic disadvantage and health overlap comes a rich tradition of inquiry which has repeatedly, and convincingly, demonstrated how health is socio-economically patterned with the least well off fairing much worse than their more privileged counterparts on almost any measure of health.
theoretical and empirical understandings of these two-way relationships may be relatively developed the three ways intersection of gender, socio-economic disadvantage and health is less well theorised or the focus of empirical investigation.
In this presentation I want to dissect each component of this Venn diagram, the individual components; the two-way intersections; and the three way intersections. I will conclude by reflecting upon how a richer understanding of the three-way relationship between gender, socio-economic disadvantage and health might be gained by a more thorough application of the other components of the Venn diagram.
I should preface this presentation by highlighting that things are of course much more complicated. Each of these concepts intersects with yet other social and cultural processes like race/ethnicity; disability; and place, to name just a few. But let’s continue with the more simplified approach for the time being.
Let’s start with sex/gender.
What do we mean by gender equity. One aspect is the distribution of economic and social resources. The ways in which gender and socio-economic processes and conditions are connected and contribute to each other is manifold, I want to start by considering the ways in which socio-economic resources are distributed. Worldwide women are more likely to live in absolute poverty than men. That is, they a greater proportion of women than men do not have sufficient income to cover the basic living costs. Even within countries like Australia where absolute poverty is low, or non-existent, relative poverty (which is takes account that the minimal standard of living fluctuates with the rest of society) women are more likely to live in poverty in part because they are more likely to be single parents with children relying on lower wages and income support.
Whitehall study of women and men. For men occupation works better as a marker o social position. This marker of household social position is based on financial security and works better for women.
Whitehall study of women and men. For men occupation works better as a marker o social position. This marker of household social position is based on financial security and works better for women