Introduction
In recent years, much attention has been paid to gender relations. Indeed, interpersonal relationships of people largely determine their activities. Over the years of humanity’s existence, people have formed particular attitudes toward the roles and characteristics of men and women in society. For this reason, misunderstandings and even discrimination can often occur. Undoubtedly, the changes in recent decades have led to an equalization of differences between people. Nevertheless, people have not yet managed to get rid of them entirely and, most likely, will never succeed.
Gender is one of the significant factors and a dependent variable in the health of the population, along with the social class, age, ethnicity, and race. The social and cultural stratification of health and disease is a well-known fact studied by culturologists, sociologists, physicians, and psychologists. Representatives of various demographic groups differ in their views on diseases and health, models of a healthy lifestyle, access to medical care, and other indicators. Features of the place of residence, environment, and cultural traditions – all this affects the health status among social groups, which creates social inequalities in health. For example, access to medical care is limited not only in many developing countries due to the poor functioning of the healthcare system and medical infrastructure. This can also be noted in developed countries, where many people cannot pay for high-quality methods of treatment and prevention of diseases.
The gender approach in healthcare is the inclusion of gender differences in the analysis of the healthcare system and the formulation of health policy. The main issue here is how to create equal conditions for protecting health with objective biomedical differences between men and women (World Health Organization 1998). In health care, gender equality implies equal access for men and women to the health care provided by a particular health system. It also establishes a similar consumption of medical services by following real needs and the equal quality of medical services for men and women.
In different cultures, maintaining health, experiencing illness and disability, and perceptions of treatment are variable with respect to gender. For instance, in some communities, there are numerous primitive taboos caused by fears about physiological phenomena in the body of women. However, even in a post-industrial society where health services are available, there are also differences in health practices. They are manifested among representatives of various regions, ethnicities, subcultures, or residents of the city and village.
Healthcare policy implies deliberate actions of the state in building a developed system of protecting the health of citizens. A gender approach is needed at all stages of the implementation of the health policy: both in assessing the general course and in its implementation and the examination of results (World Health Organization 1998). Equally important is how gender issues are perceived in the daily practice of medical and social services.
It is necessary to take into account the gender characteristics of a person at the time of diagnosis. Undoubtedly, many diseases have the same symptoms in people of different genders, but each patient requires an equally serious and attentive approach. In addition, various external factors (physical work or parenting) should always be taken into account. This is also necessary for adjusting medication since each person perceives a specific approach differently. If patients experience physical or psychological discomfort during treatment, it must be changed.
Statement of the Problem
Protecting public health is the primary goal of health policy, which is implemented in government programs, management decisions, as well as in the practice of medical institutions workers. Among the social rights enshrined in many countries’ laws, the provision of medical care for the population is of great importance. In the healthcare system’s theoretical apparatus, the concept of public health is actively used as a generalized concept of the health of many individuals. At the same time, this generalization unifies individuals without regarding gender, age, ethnicity, and social status. It also does not allow considering those social conditions that differentiate these groups of the population in terms of health.
Conclusion
Gender differentiation should not lead to inequality, and to prevent this from happening, a number of special measures are needed. It is also necessary to examine each part of the health care system: from healthcare management to medical care. Thus, gender analysis considers the situation of men and women as recipients of health services. It also pays attention to healthcare professionals and decision-makers at the legislative and executive levels of different genders. Of particular importance is the assessment of how the gender aspects of global health policy are reflected in individual states’ political decisions. A gender approach in healthcare is the incorporation of gender differences in the analysis of the healthcare system and the formulation of public health policies. Thus, the task of society is to determine the mechanisms for maintaining the health potential of women and men in different periods of their lives. These joint efforts are the only way to achieve the actual equality in the healthcare area, as well as other parts of life.
Reference
World Health Organization. 1998. Gender and Health Technical Paper. Geneva: World Health Organization.