Health and Gender - Term Paper Example

Health and Gender al Affiliation] God has made all human beings equal and every person has equal rights over the basic necessitiesof life. Every religion preaches equality of genders but it is seldom practiced. Women have always been considered second citizens their voices silenced and their rights usurped. Even in this day and age in many under developed as well as developing countries, women are denied the basic rights of education and health facilities. In many cultures of the world especially in the Asian Sub Continent and the countries around it, boys are preferred over girls and parents pay special attention to their needs. A boy is fed first and the remaining food is polished off the plate by his sister(s). A girl who will bear children one day is often denied three square meals a day which causes malnourishment. This malnourished child is then married off at an early age and dies during childbirth. Malnutrition also means that girls and women are more prone to infections. Gender inequality is the deep rooted cancer which exists in every culture society in one form or the other. Sen & Ostlin (Eds) (2010) cited the following four factors as the major contributors towards gender inequality in health care: differential exposure and vulnerabilities, discriminatory values and norms in the communities, biased health system and biased health research Differential Exposure and Vulnerabilities Gender discrimination has led to some serious problem; HIV/AIDS is one of them. AIDS has spread its tentacles in the four corners of the world and is at its ugliest in Africa. The rate at which the epidemic of AIDS has spread in Africa is alarming. The epidemiology of AIDS in Africa showed that women especially in the age bracket of 15 to 24 years were four times more likely to contract AIDS than men. Women are more vulnerable as their culture gives them no control and exposes them to risks. Unsafe sex practice and poverty is behind this epidemic. Africa comprises of nations which have been at war for decades; with the economy in shreds, women are left with no choice but to sell themselves; sexual practices take place without protection and that is why AIDS has spread like wildfire. Women other than sex workers have been tested HIV positive because their partners/husbands never use condoms. In African culture, women are taught to obey men under all circumstances therefore women cannot refuse sex with husbands or insist that they use condom. Polygamy is widely practiced in Africa. Women contract AIDS at an early age because they become sexually active at a young age and their partners who are quite older than them have already had multiple partners. Also mother breast feed their children and AIDS can easily transfer from affected breastfeeding mother to child. However, sex with an infected partner is the major cause of AIDS in Africa. Quoting a large number of women Kalipeni et al (Eds) (2004) reported that most wives said that their husbands refused to use condoms. These women showed interest in female condoms to protect themselves. However, as female condoms are more expensive and are not that commonly found, women remain at risk. The epidemics of AIDS also grew due to sexual violence. In Zambia young girls and minors were raped because of the myth that sex with a virgin could cure Aids. Senegal is one African country where the incidents of AIDS are the lowest the reason being that the Senegal government included youth and women along with doctors, religious leaders and traditional healers in their drive against AIDS. It has also been seen that men get more protection from a prevailing epidemic. For instance, both malaria and dengue fever are caused by mosquito bites. It is a common practice in rural households to sleep in the open. Men are lucky enough to get net beds while God is the only protector of women. Discriminatory Values and Norms in the Communities As observed by Sen & Ostlin (Eds) (2010) in some societies, girls are fed less, educated less and face more restrictions and when they grow up they shoulder the lion’s share of burdens as they are given the task of caring for the young and the old. Women of rural areas suffer the most as they are given the external responsibilities of fetching water, fetching wood for fuel and fodder for animals and cooking cleaning and taking care of the entire family. These are silent jobs which hold no importance in the eyes of many and therefore if woman gets sick, little attention is paid to her as she does not go out of the house to earn money. Women are overburdened by the chores and often have little time for themselves. In places where women have access to higher education, they are employed in low paid jobs. Men do not trust highly educated women with decision making and on the political scene too; women seldom get to the top even in advanced countries. If qualified women were consulted when the health policies were being chalked out maybe things would have been better. Sen & Ostlin (Eds) (2010) also observed that gender discrimination is quite deep rooted and was not only present in the low income class but those who devised and implemented government policies themselves believed in gender status quo. Gender equality is discussed at length in assemblies and on paper but practically little is done to implement it. Under such circumstances women will continue to suffer from inadequate healthcare facilities. Gender inequality is due to the distinct roles assigned to men and women. All over the world men earn more than women and own more property and assets. Also men enjoy complete freedom to move around anywhere anytime where as women particularly in some communities are forbidden to venture out alone. This is one of the reasons why women cannot seek medical care in such communities because the norms of their society do not permit them to travel alone. Also the complete freedom allows men to do everything they want which includes engaging in promiscuous activities while back home wives contract HIV because they cannot insist on husbands using condoms. As long as people do not change their mindset, gender inequality will remain a barrier to health care. Another important factor that stands as a barrier between women and healthcare is that in some countries of the world women are not allowed to consult male physicians. Some countries even require the consent of a male member of the family if a woman seeks medical help. Sen & Ostlin (Eds) (2010) noticed that overall the health gradients differed significantly for both men and women as pointed out by Brym & Lie (2009) the number of women who had kidney transplant and went through different cardiac procedures and other complex treatments was quite less as compared to men. Brym & Lie (2009) also highlighted the fact that in general women have a longer life expectancy than men but still in most countries including the United States, a large sum of money is spent on men’s health care than on women’s. Biased Health System Biased health care systems also contribute towards gender discrimination in healthcare. America, one of the most developed countries of the world, has flaws in its healthcare policy and healthcare system as mentioned by Institute of Medicine (U.S.) (2003). A deeper look into the American health system shows that the wide variation in healthcare system is due to the inadequate access to medical care and health insurance coverage. Women who do not have insurance coverage often postpone their visits to the doctor and do not apply for prescription refills and for such women preventive care is simply out of the question. Most of the employers in America offer health insurance coverage to their employees and at times families are included in the offer but the employee has to contribute towards the premium. The exorbitant cost of health insurance has compelled the businesses to shift the major share of premium towards the employee and so the low income group hardly stands a chance. The rising cost of living in general has also made health insurance difficult for moderate income group. Women also stand to be a victim of misdiagnosis as the physician may not be well trained in women’s health and may misdiagnose serious medical conditions. It has also been observed that psychological problems in women are often not treated properly. Another thing noted by Blechman & Brownell (Eds) (1999) was that the preventive health care services for special group of women; the young and the old were not suitable for their needs. Biased Health Research Gender biasing with regards to health facilities is not restricted to under developed countries alone, even in advanced countries like USA and UK women are denied health facilities albeit in a different way. Women are often excluded from clinical trials; researchers often overlook the fact that women respond differently to medicine than men. The exclusion of women in clinical trials means an incomplete research and a waste of precious time and money. According to Worell (2001) women suffer more from diabetes, cardiac problems and hypertension but the medical research on these diseases does not include women and so doctors do not have a clear idea of what causes these problems in women. The clinical trials for new medicine also exclude women and so its effects on women are largely based on assumptions. The clinical trials of certain drugs made for lowering the cholesterol level had only men as testers. Worell (2001) also pointed out that only 13% of the total research funds of the National Institute of Health were allocated for women. Another interesting fact that Worell (2001) stated was that the animals used in the study of new drugs were “white male rats” although everyone is aware that hormonal differences exist between male and female even in rats. Women’s Interest in Traditional Healing In some parts of the world such as in Asia, Latin America and Africa women prefer going to traditional healers. The statement is especially true for stigmatized diseases such as TB, leprosy and any other gynecological problem. In the South Asian sub-continent, women often go to traditional healers if they fail to conceive. Traditional healers are also consulted if women suffer from a psychological problem. This is because women often complained of the degrading remarks from the health care workers and the rude behavior of the staff. Women of these regions also do not feel comfortable discussing their problems publicly and complained of lack of privacy during examinations. In these countries the mortality rate during childbirth is quite high in the rural areas. This is because there is a hospital but sans doctors and paramedic staff as they do not find rural areas lucrative enough. Female health workers do not visit these areas because of harassment they face. Also men of the area treat women as their honor and prefer to keep them within the four walls of the house. The delivery cases are mostly attended by midwives and in case the delivery is not normal or some complication occurs during delivery, either the mother or the child and at times both lose their lives. Women also show interest in traditional healing because the traditional healers charge less than the doctors. Conclusion Gender inequality means that women have few chances of accessing health care facilities. Gender inequality is prevalent in many societies; it changes faces but it is there nonetheless. Women are treated as subordinates and though international organizations like WHO are working towards empowering women and gender equality; a lot needs to be done from all quarters. Women are denied proper health care mostly due to the norms of the communities but norms are not the word of God and can be changed. Gender inequality is largely to be blamed for the international epidemics of AIDS. Gender inequality is the main reason behind high mortality rate in women and women will continue to suffer and lose their lives unless they are treated equally. Gender mainstreaming is the need of the hour and the sooner it is done the better it would be for human progress and development. References Blechman, E. A. & Brownell, K. D. (Eds) (1999). Behavioral Medicine and Women: A Comprehensive Handbook. New York: The Guilford Press. Brym, R. J., & Lie, J. (2009). Sociology: Your Compass For A New World. Ed 2. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning. Institute of Medicine (U.S.) (2003). Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. Washington: National Academies Press Kalipeni, E. et al (Eds) (2004). HIV and AIDS in Africa: Beyond Epidemiology. USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Sen, G. & Ostlin, P. (Eds). (2010). Gender Equity in Health: The Shifting Frontiers of Evidence and Action. New York and UK: Routledge. Worell, J. (2001). Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the impact of society on gender. Volume 1. USA: Academic Press. Read More