Womens Health Issues - Literature review Example

Women’s Health Issues Name Institution Date Introduction Gender is one of the most important social determinants of health in most parts of the world including. Acording to Ostlin et al. (2007), it defines how the treatment is done and the allocation of resources for various treatment and medical research. The health requirements of women are quite different to that of men. Women are at a more risk of contracting diseases and developing health complications as opposed to men. This is mainly dependant on various biological, social and environmental factors. However it is also important to note that the life expectancy of women is higher as compared to that of men despite their susceptibility to diseases. In order to fully manage the health of women, it is important to understand their health needs and factors that affect them. Understanding the health requirements therefore enables the women to be aware of their health condition and how to manage it. The paper thus discusses the health requirements of women and the issues that affect their health. Part 1: Reflection on personal health issues Access to Health Information Biological and environmental factors greatly contribute to the factors affecting the health of women. This is further perpetrated by the lack of awareness and information among women on the factors that contribute to the deterioration of their health. Women are at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer based on the number of sexual partners. This is one of the biological factors that contribute to poor health among women. On the other hand life practices such as smoking, poor diet and male sexual behavior also contributes towards poor health among women. This is because their biological nature exposes them to diseases very easily. Conversely, women may also develop blindness due to their close contact with children. Most women spent more time with children as compared to men. The reproductive issues also expose women to poor health conditions. During pregnancy, the chances of women developing depression are high as the condition affects them psychologically. Some women are also exposed to severe stress once they reach menopause. This increases their chances of developing depression which has adverse negative impacts on their health. The lack of social support during pregnancy also has negative impacts on the health of the women (World Health Organization, 2009). Social and Cultural Factors During pregnancy, women are at a higher risk of contracting diseases like Malaria. This is because their immune system is usually lowered during the pregnancy period. It is thus important to ensure that the women are well protected from the factors that may lead to illnesses. According to Baum (2002), women are also at a higher risk of contracting sexual transmitted diseases as compared to men. In some instances, the women have little say on matters regarding sexual issues like the use of contraceptives. This is also quite challenging as it affects their health incase of diseases. Women are also exposed to domestic violence which causes physical injuries as well as mental stress. Some women are usually abused physically by their spouses which greatly affects them. The physical injuries may force the women to spend more productive time while seeking for treatment. In some communities, women are usually forced to undergo female genital mutilation. This could be due to cultural concerns but the practice highly compromises their health. This practice increases their chances of developing complications during child birth. Some of the complications may also lead to fatalities which is not good as it had the potential of being avoided (Wood, 2005). Social and cultural factors are also major contributors of poor health among women. This is usually caused by being overworked by the men or when carrying out household chores. On the other hand the failure of women to have time for oneself is also a factor that leads to stress. Violence against women and sexual assault is also a major concern among women and it greatly contributes to stress as most of them do not find the solution to the problem. In the recent past, the number of women engaging in drugs and alcohol is on the rise and it has negative effects on their health. Financial problems lead more women to engage in drinking which affects their health. Most of the women also engage in drinking due to relationship problems and loneliness. Low self esteem s also harmful to the health of the women. This is mainly contributed by living in poor conditions and also lack of employment. Lack of proper diet also contributes to health problems experienced by women. This may lead to obesity which is not good for the health pf the women. On the other hand, lack of information regarding the healthy methods of living is also a problem that the women in low income areas are faced with (UNFPA, 2005). Individual constrains are also factors that impact negatively on the health of the women. Some women lack self confidence which hinders them from inquiring about certain information related to health. Some women are also embarrassed about their situation which prevents them from seeking help. This is common with women who are dealing with weight issues. Most women are more concerned about their families as opposed to themselves. This leads to stress which affects their health in many ways. This situation is worsened when the women do not have anyone to talk to regarding the problems they are facing. The healthcare system also contributes to constrain for the health of the women. Some healthcare workers do not take seriously the issues affecting women while others have negative perceptions. Some of the local communities lack adequate resources to provide the healthcare needs for the women. This leads to negative impacts on the health of the women. The society also poses several challenges and negative impacts on the health of the women. The practices within the community like female genital; mutilation impacts negatively on the health of the women. Poverty, violence and a poor environment also contributes to the health problems facing women (Murphy, 2004). Economic factors and gender responsibilities The gender roles also play a role in the increase of women to exposure to diseases and poor health. According to Whitehead, et al. (2000), women are more advantageous as compared to men when it comes to fatalities and injuries from road accidents. This is because more men drive as compared to the women. This increases the chances of men experiencing injuries and deaths. On the other hand, men always perform complex tasks that affect their health as compared to women. The number of men working in the military is high a compared to women. This is an area that is exposed to a lot of health risks and fatalities. This factor therefore contributes to the high life expectancy of the women as compared to men. This is despite the high exposure of women to diseases. The work that is done by an individual therefore plays an important role in determining their health conditions. The work that is usually done by the women determines their health conditions in most cases. It is also important to note that the nature of work done by women is not complicated as the ones done by men. However, the nature of work done by women could be quite demanding and demoralizing which may affect their psychology. This also contributes to health problems among the women. Part 2: Critical analysis of key themes Women health movement philosophies Feminism The feminism concepts are important in terms of understanding the position of women health in male dominated society. It has widely been thought over the years that health is a male dominated sector that tends to subordinate the heath needs of the women. The ideologies of feminism are thus for the purpose of empowering women and creating equality in the society. The empowerment plays an important role in breaking the cultural and social barriers that contribute to poor health among women. This is important in terms of ensuring that the women receive the medical attention they deserve. The philosophy also tends to change the attitude of the people with regard to the women. In most societies, women are regarded as child bearers and sexual objects. This affects them psychologically which is not good for their health. This attitude also affects the delivery of heath services to the women as they are taken for granted in the society. The feminist philosophy brings to light various aspects that are useful in terms of addressing the health needs of the women. Several terms related to women have been defined by this philosophy leading to better treatment of women. The equality among men and women has also been emphasized in this philosophy forcing the stakeholders to take the issues of women health seriously. The definitions are important in terms of addressing the health needs of the women and thus better healthcare (Clendon, et al, 2011). Empowerment Empowerment of women is quite useful in addressing the issues affecting their health. The process is mainly about giving the women power to make health decisions through acquisition of knowledge. The empowerment can be divided in three parts. At an individual level, the women can be empowered for the purpose of enhancing self esteem. This is important in ensuring that the women are able to express their health needs freely without ant embarrassment. This also ensures that information concerning the health needs are accessed and applied by women at an individual level for their own health benefits. This empowerment is useful to women in terms of making decisions which may involve the use or contraceptives. Empowerment can also be achieved by am individual through sharing knowledge and information from other experienced people. The sharing of information empowers an individual and enables them to male the right choices with regard to health matters. This is useful to women who do not have experience on certain health aspects and their implications. The communities can also be empowered for the purpose of capacity building. Empowering the community about the health of women is important in reducing some practices that have negative impacts on their health. Through empowering the community, practices like female genital mutilation can be eliminated (Keleher, 2009). Social Model of Health This model emphasizes that the health of a woman is directly related to the social, economic and cultural factors around them. The social aspects determine the outcome of the woman’s health. This includes factors like poverty, housing and the surrounding environment. It is more likely for women who live under poverty to have poor health as compared to those who are well off. This is because the woman living in poverty cannot afford medical check up and even some of the basic treatment. This has a direct impact on her health. Women who live in poor housing may also experience more health problems as compared to those who live in better housing. This is a clear indication that the social factors are directly linked to the health of a woman. This model therefore suggests that the health workers should put the social issues facing women under consideration. This will make it easy to solve the heath needs of the women and hence the delivery of quality healthcare service to women. The social model of health is also aimed at preventing illnesses among women by analyzing the social situation facing them (Durey, 2009). Conclusion In conclusion, the health problems faced by women are quite adverse as compared to men. However, although women easily get sick, their life expectancy is higher as compared to the men. The biological nature of the women is also a factor that makes them susceptible to illnesses. The heath needs of the women are thus more demanding as compared to that of men. Several theories have been put forward to explain the heath need of women. The feminist theory addresses the issues of equality while the empowerment is focused on knowledge acquisition. The social health model is mainly focused on the social, cultural and economic issues affecting the health of women. References World Health Organization. (2009). Women and health: Today’s evidence tomorrow’s agenda Geneva Switzerland: WHO. Wood, J. (2005). Gendered lives: Communication, gender and culture (6th ed.). Southbank, Vic.: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Whitehead, M. et al. (2000). Researching the impact of public policy on inequalities in health. In H. Graham (Ed.), Understanding inequalities (pp. 203-218). Buckingham, MK: Open University Press. Murphy, B. (2004). Health education and communication strategies. In H. Keleher & B. Murphy (Eds.), Understanding health: A determinants approach (pp. 187-203). South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. Clendon, J. et al. (2011). Health and gender: Healthy women, healthy men. In Community health and wellness: Primary health care in practice (4th ed., 301-328). Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier Australia. Keleher, H. (2009). Determinants of women’s health and wellbeing. In Understanding health: A determinants approach (2nd ed., pp. 333-351. South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. Durey, R. (2009). Women and ageing. Gender Impact Assessment No. 10. Melbourne, Australia: Women’s Health Victoria. Baum, F. (2002). The new public health (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (2005). Gender-based violence: A price too high. In State of world population 2005. The promise of equality: Gender equity, reproductive health and the MDGs. Retrieved on 8 October 2012 from Ostlin, P. et al. (2007). Unequal, unfair, ineffective and inefficient. Gender inequity in health: Why it exists and how we can change it. Final report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO. Read More