Health and Gender: Resilience and Vulnerability Factors For Women’s Health in the Contemporary Society

Abstract

This book presents a concise and comprehensive overview of the most important protective and risk factors for women’s health, and reviews the main areas of medical science from a gender perspective. Numerous scientific experiments and studies have shown how gender differences significantly affect the clinical presentation of physical and mental health disorders as well as responses to treatments. This text highlights these issues, while at the same time reflecting on the practical implications of the theoretical knowledge presented. It also examines the organization of social and health services, which should increasingly take into account the specificities related to gender differences and where equality is based on truly embracing these differences. The final part provides insights into the experiences and testimonies collected by the authors of the book. Written by a multidisciplinary team of medical, psychosocial and humanities professionals, this book is of interest to health professionals and medical students.