Public Health from a Gender Perspective

Abstract

The evaluation of gender equality in the access to the health services is an aspect that has not been studied enough and worthy of considerate analysis from different disciplines related to the public health. The main objective of this article is to show a current review of the analysis of the public health approach based on gender. It is not intended to be exhaustive providing depth analysis, but rather to reflect the need of integration of the gender perspective to achieve the gender equality in the access to the health services. Considering that one of the Essential Public Health Functions (FESP), refers to the promotion of the gender equality in the access to the health care, which includes the evaluation and promotion of the effective access to all the citizens to the necessary health services. The article presents some theoretical contributions about what involves the integration of the gender perspective to achieve equality in the health care. It also notes the lack of precise information on the magnitude of the problem in its different manifestations, and its impact on the health care. It concludes with a request to the professionals of the public health and stakeholders, to expand the reflection in order to determine more precisely which should be its role in addressing the problem.