Women’s Health

Why Focus on Women’s

Health?
• Women are different than men
• Many general health texts relay information from
studies based on male standards
• Besides the physiological concepts, areas such as
mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of
women need to be addressed
• Women Health issues are also important!!
Emphasis on Health Promotion

• Health is something to be
nurtured in order to prevent
illness and disease
• 3 common types of health
actions are:
• Proactive care: reduction of risks by
lifestyle
• Health care maintenance: continuation
process
• Reactive care: treatment of illness
* The greatest emphasis in health promotion is placed on proactive care
 Women’s Health in a Global
Society
• Women around the world share many common
health concerns
• Women from many countries still experience
difficulties with several health issues
• Two important concepts to consider regarding
women’s health:
• Sexism (biased against gender)
• Misogyny (hatred towards women)
 The Women’s Social
Movement
• The Women’s rights movement was born during the drive for the
abolition of slavery (19th Century)
• The first women’s rights convention was organized in Seneca
Falls, New York (July, 1848)
• Elizabeth Stanton (1815-1902) and Susan B. Anthony (1820-
1906) were considered the very first feminists in the U.S. and
helped initiate changes in laws for women
• Liberal feminism is a philosophy that sees the oppression of
women as a denial of equal rights, representation, and access to
opportunities
 Women’s Health Issues that Still
Require Major Attention

• Enhancing self-esteem • Battling against gender-

• Promoting a healthy and role socialization along
realistic body image with job and wage
• Countering the implied discrimination
obligation to fulfill a • Establishing standards of
sacrificial caretaker role emotional, physical, and
• Curbing violence against spiritual well-being that
women are specific to women
and not compared to men
Thank you