scholarly journals Women’s health and gender perspectives in the history of modern Norwegian epidemiology

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berit Schei ◽  
Berit Rostad
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Separate Analysis ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Gendered Patterns ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

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 />

scholarly journals What can an evolutionary perspective on women’s health provide to the current public health paradigm? A case study on redefining thyroid cancer as a reproductive cancer

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abby Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Thyroid Cancer ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Anthropological Perspective ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIncidence rates of non-communicable diseases in women are increasing worldwide and now contributing more to mortality and morbidity than reproductive health. Despite this universal trend, there is no recognition by the WHO of this phenomenon in women’s health. Additionally, thyroid cancer is considered a non-sex specific cancer despite female incidence rates being triple those of males. To understand why there are such conceptual limitations to women’s health, biomedicine - and its prevalence in western public health authorities - will be analysed from an anthropological perspective. In mind of these conceptual limitations, insights from evolutionary perspectives on health are introduced as well as how they may alleviate the conceptual barriers in the current biomedical paradigm. Using the example of breast cancer, the difference between a reproductive cancer in women, and cancer located in the reproductive tract will be explored. From this, the possibility that a cancer outside the reproductive tract can be directly influenced by reproductive function is explored in the specific case of thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer and current public health approaches to preventing malignancies of the thyroid are examined to show the limitations of their scope. Furthermore, evidence supporting the direct link between thyroid function and reproductive function is presented. Current academic studies into the link between thyroid cancer and women’s reproductive function are analysed to show they are subject to the same conceptual limitations of women’s reproductive function as found previously in biomedicine. To conclude, I will introduce a new hypothesis for exploring the impact of women’s reproductive function on thyroid cancer incidence rates. This hypothesis will allow women’s health to be viewed holistically, and allows reproductive function to be investigated beyond parity. Thus, the conceptual limitations of women’s health in the public health paradigm will be alleviated.

scholarly journals Feminism, gender medicine and beyond: a feminist analysis of "gender medicine"

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayelet Shai ◽  
Shahar Koffler ◽  
Yael Hashiloni-Dolev
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Gender Medicine ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe feminist women’s health movement empowered women’s knowledge regarding their health and battled against paternalistic and oppressive practices within healthcare systems. Gender Medicine (GM) is a new discipline that studies the effect of sex/gender on general health. The international society for gender medicine (IGM) was embraced by the FDA and granted funds by the European Union to formulate policies for medical practice and research.We conducted a review of IGM publications and policy statements in scientific journals and popular media. We found that while biological differences between men and women are emphasized, the impact of society on women is under- represented. The effect of gender-related violence, race, ethnic conflicts, poverty, immigration and discrimination on women’s health is seldom recognized. Contrary to feminist practice, GM is practiced by physicians and scientists, neglecting voices of other disciplines and of women themselves.In this article we show that while GM may promote some aspects of women’s health, at the same time it reaffirms conservative positions on sex and gender that can serve to justify discrimination and disregard the impact of society on women’s lives and health. An alternative approach, that integrates feminist thinking and practices into medical science, practice and policies is likely to result in a deep and beneficiary change in women’s health worldwide.

scholarly journals Avoiding Gender Exploitation and Ethics Dumping in Research with Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 470-479
Author(s):  
JULIE COOK
Keyword(s):  
Research Ethics ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Ethics Committees ◽  
Institutional Review Boards ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

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.

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