Opinion: Gender Insights Can Improve Services

Network: Summer 1998, Vol. 18, No. 4

by Susan Paulson, PhD

See Also:

Women's Voices, Women's Lives: The Impact Of Family Planning: Conceptual Framework

Women's Voices, Women's Lives: The Impact Of Family Planning: Executive Summary

Women's Voices, Women's Lives: The Impact Of Family Planning: Crosscutting Themes and Their Implications

China: The Effect of Family Planning on Women's Lives

Gender beliefs and practices define roles, opportunities and limitations for women and men, greatly influencing life in all societies. Aspects of daily life shaped by gender include use of language and means of self-expression, dress and appearance, education, work opportunities, family structure and size, and each individual's health.

Practical experiences with gender issues in reproductive health services have led to several basic observations, which provide useful insights into ways to improve services and policies.

• Women and men experience sexuality and reproductive health differently, in ways that are shaped by their ethnic, cultural and class groups, as well as by their sexual identities. Providers can improve care by responding to these different identities and perceptions.

• Reproductive health services that broaden their scope to include men's reproductive health, men's and women's relationships, and women's relationships with others tend to be more successful than those that focus exclusively on women.

• Men and women's reproductive health is influenced by religion, politics, economic conditions, the environment and education. Reproductive health policies and services need to take into account this larger context.

A gender perspective allows providers to go beyond focusing on women to view reproductive health as family health and as a social issue. It addresses the dynamics of knowledge, power and decision-making in sexual relationships, between providers and clients, and between community or political leaders and citizens.

Research conducted throughout the world shows that working only with women to improve reproductive health is inadequate. Often, women's relationships with their husbands, mothers-in-law, religious authorities or others prohibit them from acquiring or using knowledge, or obtaining contraceptive methods that offer protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

A gender perspective must go beyond health services to promote sustainable improvements in reproductive health. This perspective can be used to analyze and promote beneficial changes in a variety of social, political and educational settings, leading to more inclusive and equitable practices in communities, organizations and institutions.

Note: Dr. Paulson is an anthropologist who has taught gender studies at Centro de Estudios Superiores Universitarios in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and at Colegio Andino in Cuzco, Peru.