Gender and Health Sector Reform: Theory and Evidence

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Economy - Health Economics, grade: 2,0, University of Göttingen, language: English, abstract: The health sector is facing cost explosions for various reasons. Facing limited resources contemporary politics tend to focus on the reduction of costs when talking about reforming the health sector. Reforming the health sector is a complex issue with implications on equity. Since women are particularly vulnerable in health issues, this paper deals with the effects of health sector reforms on gender and equity. Therefore, it describes what kind of challenges the different health systems around the world have to face and how policy responds. The different components of health sector reforms are researched towards the effect on gender equity. Figures and examples are used to prove the evidence of the subject and the implications on gender issues. This paper concludes that women are often disadvantaged in access to health care due to barriers in access to remuneration and cultural barriers within families. This affects women's health status. A major challenge in this context is to promote the participation of women in order to adjust reforms and components of services to their needs.