Gender Equity in Health

Gita Sen is Professor at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India, and Adjunct Professor of Population and International Health at the Faculty of Public Health, Harvard University. Piroska Östlin is a public health scientist with a Ph.D. in Medical Science from the University of Uppsala in Sweden. She is Associate Professor of public health at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

"This book puts the weight of analytical frameworks and evidence behind the all too common tragedies of avoidable death, unnecessary illness, and health injustices that beset so many girls and women and also boys and men. It pushes the frontiers of our thinking about the barriers to justice and also provides compelling contemporary material which can - and should - be marshalled to support a right-to-health approach to gender and health."Paul HuntUN Special Rapporteur on the Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (2002-2008)"This volume is a unique source of knowledge, inspiration and practical recommendations that go beyond the scope of many previous publications on gender and health. It brings together the evidence base, reflects on and synthesizes key messages, and crosses the needed extra mile to tie research to policy. An extraordinary mix of experiences and backgrounds have shaped it to be truly special. A must read for the many constituencies that are troubled by gender injustices and are seeking to reform the muted and often ill conceived policy actions that attempt to deal with them."Hoda Rashad Research Professor and Director, Social Research Center, American University in Cairo"One cannot act on the social determinants of health globally without considering the position of women. This book lays out most impressively how the structures of society impact on women's health. It brings together an impressive group of authors and presents the definitive view of gender inequity and what to do about it."Michael MarmotChair, WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health

• 1. Gender as a Social Determinant of Health: Evidence, Policies and Innovations Gita Sen and Piroska Östlin 2. The Social Body: Gender and the Burden of Disease Rachel Snow 3. Inequalities and Intersections in Health: A Review of the Evidence Aditi Iyer, Gita Sen and Piroska Östlin 4. Gendered Health Outcomes of an "Endless" War on Terror Rosalind Petchesky and Melissa Laurie 5. Gender, Health and Poverty in Latin America Karina Batthyany and Sonia Corrêa 6. Gender Norms and Empowerment: ‘What Works’ to Increase Equity for Women and Girls Helen Keleher 7. Challenging Gender in Patient-Provider Interactions Veloshnee Govender and Loveday Penn-Kekana 8. Exploring the Gendered Dimensions of Human Resources for Health Asha George 9. Accountability to Citizens on Gender and Health Ranjani K. Murthy 10. Gender Mainstreaming in Health: The Emperor’s New Clothes? T.K.S. Ravindran and A. Kelkar-Khambete