Abstract

CASTANEDA ABASCAL, Ileana Elena. Theoretical reflections on differences in health attributable to gender. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2007, vol.33, n.2, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3127.

Gender emerges from a process of social construction that defines what is masculine and what is feminine on the basis of biological sexes to the extent of setting the positions of power between them. National political agendas and international bodies have addressed the unfavorable situation of women with respect to men caused by inequalities to which females have been subjected to throughout the history. In the Third Conference on Woman held in Nairobi in 1985, discrimination of females in the economic, political and social contexts was recognized, which is considered as a natural event. The Fourth Conference on Woman held in Beijing in 1995 discussed gender equity and woman empowerment, both accepted as a milestone for the planning of health policies and population programs. The UN General Assembly session held from June to July, 1999 in New York City called upon the scientific community to focus its efforts on the design and use of indicators capable of measuring the real health situation in general and the reproductive health in particular, paying special attention to gender approach. This article made a reflection on gender approach in the field of public health based on the theoretical sex-gender system.

Keywords : Public health; gender; inequalities; indicators.

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