Transcript india

Exploring inequities in health
BETWEEN women
LESLEY DOYAL
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Changing paradigms of women and health
 ‘Sisterhood’: women unified by biological sex: focus
on reproductive health care
 Gradual recognition of inequalities/differences
between biological sex and social gender
 Key conceptual and policy development: recognition
of role of unfair and avoidable gender inequity in
shaping health of women (and men)
But ‘gender equality’ approach has limitations
 Inequities between women themselves have
received little attention
 Few studies exploring these issues and statistical
data often not disaggregated
 So little understanding of how women’s health
harmed (or promoted) across range of settings
Putting women into wider global context
 Current focus on growth of inequities within and
between countries (eg Piketty)
 “Seven out of ten people in the world today live in
countries where inequality has increased over the
past three decades,” (Lagarde, 2014)
 How do women and their health fit into this
changing picture?
Preventable inequalities
 Most frequently cited inequities are those between
women of different geo-political status/those living
in rich and poor countries
 Usually illustrated via life expectancy and maternal
mortality
 Both provide interesting illustrations of
interlinking of biological and social factors in
creation of inequity
But international inequities may cover up
dramatic domestic and regional differences
Inequalities in HIV in African region
How to explain these inequalities?
 GDPs of different countries and distribution of income
and wealth
 Proportion of GDP spent on health care and other health
related resources
 Economic, social and geographic diversity in allocation of
national resources including social security, pensions ,
and reproductive health care in particular
 Range of national gender equality policies including
equal pay, political representation and educational policy
Income inequality between social groups
Availability and distribution of reproductive
health care (data from 50 countries)
Gender equality policies
E.g. Equal pay?
Conclusion
SUCCESS IN ENABLING ALL WOMEN TO
ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL FOR HEALTH
WILL REQUIRE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE
SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED INEQUITIES
BETWEEN THEM AS WELL AS THE
INEQUITIES BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR
MALE COMPATRIOTS
INTERSECTIONALITY IMPORTANT
FRAMEWORK FOR ACHIEVING THIS….ON TO
THIS TOMORROW