Sex- and Gender-Based Women's Health

2020 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 470-479
Author(s):  
JULIE COOK

AbstractThere is a long history of women being underrepresented in biomedical and health research. Specific women’s health needs have been, and in some cases still are, comparatively neglected areas of study. Concerns about the health and social impacts of such bias and exclusion have resulted in inclusion policies from governments, research funders, and the scientific establishment since the 1990s. Contemporary understandings of foregrounding sex and gender issues within biomedical research range from women’s rights to inclusion, to links between human rights, women’s health and sustainable development, and the increasing scientific and funding expectation for studies to consider the sex (biological) and gender (cultural) implications of research design, results and impact. However, there are also exploitation issues to consider when foregrounding the inclusion of women as research participants, especially for research ethics committees and institutional review boards. A hidden risk is that exploitative research designs and practices may be missed, particularly by reviewers who may not have a nuanced understanding of gender-based harm. Utilizing contemporary case studies of ethics dumping, this paper highlights some of the concerns, and makes recommendations for IRBs/research ethics reviewers to help ensure that essential research is undertaken to the highest ethical standards.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Flavia Franconi ◽  
Ilaria Campesi

It is important to remember that gender health and illness should not to be conflated with women's health and illness. Turshen1 reports that numerous studies with ‘gender’ in the title use the word gender as a synonym for ‘women’ and as a result, men's gender-specific needs are missed. In addition, in reporting demographic characteristics of the study participants, some clinical trialists use the term ‘gender’ and some ‘sex’ to indicate men and women and this may create confusion. It can be difficult to separate the two concepts, because there are continuous and constant interactions and relationships between sex and gender3. In other words, sex and gender work together. However, little attention is paid to the fact that gender is a sex modifier. It is relevant to have in mind that both sex and gender affect health and illness4.


Author(s):  
Anna C. Mastroianni ◽  
Leslie Meltzer Henry

Drawing on the ethical principles of the Belmont Report, this chapter critically examines the legacy and current policies and practices in the United States related to the inclusion of women in clinical research. Historically, protectionist policies and practices excluded women from research participation, justified by, for example, reliance on the male norm, male bias, and fears of legal liability resulting from tragic cases of fetal harm. Recognition of the ensuing harms to women’s health from exclusion and underrepresentation in research led to significant policy changes in the 1990s encouraging women’s participation in research. Although the knowledge gap in women’s health is narrowing, significant challenges remain, including the need to develop robust approaches to defining sex and gender, identifying and analyzing sex and gender differences, and acknowledging and addressing intersectionality and women’s health needs across their life spans.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berit Schei ◽  
Berit Rostad

In this chapter, we will discuss selected aspects of the impact of women’s movement on the development<br />of modern epidemiology in Norway based on the experiences of leading a research program in Women’s<br />Health (RPWH, 1991-96) aimed at mapping and assessing gender based public health research in Norway,<br />and the establishment in 1997 of a research group in Women’s Health at the Department of Public Health<br />and General Practice, NTNU. During the 1990s, several steps were taken both internationally as well as<br />nationally to ensure that diseases which were affecting men and women unequally were given adequate<br />attention. Examples of such diseases include osteoporosis and hip fractures. Studies of diseases seen as a<br />typically men’s, such as coronary heart disease, were often conducted exclusively on men. The inclusion<br />and separate analysis based on gender, and the establishment of special cohorts of women, yielded a more<br />complex understanding. Further the gender perspective revealed gendered patterns of risks. Traditionally<br />risks such as cigarette smoking were shown to have a differential effect dependent on gender. Perinatal<br />epidemiology, traditionally used to assess outcomes related to the new-born, were expanded to also assess<br />impact of pregnancy on women themselves during and after childbirth. Disorders such as pelvic pain,<br />urinary and anal incontinence as well as fear of pregnancy and depression during and after childbirth came<br />to the attention of researchers. New risks were uncovered as women started to disclose the experience of<br />violence and abuse both as adult and when growing up. <br />


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