International Conference on Health Research for Development
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2/2/01 9:00 am
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Development. Copyright © 2001 The Society for International Development. SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi), 1011-6370 (200103) 44:1; 135–136; 016569.
Last Word
International Conference on Health Research for Development LENORE MANDERSON
Gender disparities in the transmission, distribution, diagnosis and treatment of disease have long been recognized by women’s health researchers, and drawn to wider international attention through events such as the Cairo and Beijing Conferences (in 1994 and 1995 respectively) and, more recently, the Beijing +5 meeting in New York. Yet mainstream researchers have paid little attention to gender in developing agendas for health research for development. The turning point was the International Conference on Health Research and Development, held in Bangkok from 10–13 October; here, gender inequity was a constant theme. The opening address by Gro Harlem Bruntland touched on women’s issues in her call for a broad research agenda involving both the clinical and social sciences. Two other plenary addresses pushed this issue much further. Mahmood Fatallah spoke of gender as a ‘fault line’ resulting in disparities in the burden of disease, explored how gender blindness resulted in partial and biased knowledge, and drew attention to the poor representation of women in shaping research questions, determining priorities, and conducting health research. Gita Sen argued the need for gender analysis to interrogate health outcomes, the long-term health consequences of illness, and the social consequences of illness. And both speakers alluded to the absences and silences of data: the lack of information on morbidity, for example; the inequalities of treatment-seeking and care; and the silences around the epidemics of reproductive tract infections, poor mental health, and domestic violence and sexual violence against women. It would have been easy to be cynical, were these the only references to gender. This was not the case, however. One afternoon two parallel sessions were devoted to gender analysis, and the distribution and outcomes of illness for women and men. These include the division of labour, activities, and use of space; norms and values regarding women’s and men’s roles; differences between men and women in the control of resources; and differences of power
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Development 44(1): Last Word and authority. Age and stage in life cycle complicate women’s and men’s health experiences, status, and outcomes. Gender influences policy development and programmes, and considerations of gender are centrally important in the design, recruitment, conduct and analysis of health research. These points are most likely to be acknowledged in reproductive health research, but are no less important in occupational health, mental health or infectious disease, always influencing the risk, prevention and management of illness. A double session was also held on sexual violence against women, at which were presented
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