{"id":50569,"date":"2021-07-02T12:54:01","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T11:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=50569"},"modified":"2021-07-15T13:55:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T12:55:36","slug":"our-response-to-covid-19-must-not-be-gender-blind-nor-a-gender-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/07\/02\/our-response-to-covid-19-must-not-be-gender-blind-nor-a-gender-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Our response to covid-19 must not be gender blind nor a gender battle\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The covid-19 pandemic has underscored how gender responsive health systems are a crucial path forward, say Peter Baker, Ann Keeling, Arush Lal, Chadia Wannous, and Mahesh Puri<\/p>\n

Covid-19 impacts men, women, and non-binary genders differently\u2014and not equally. The virus is not gender blind, but evidence shows that over 80% of covid-19 health policies ignore gender<\/a>,<\/span> with serious consequences for everyone\u2019s health and wellbeing. Globally, men compared to women experience a higher severity<\/a> of illness<\/a> and mortality<\/a> from covid-19.<\/span> The pandemic might therefore be perceived as a \u201cmen\u2019s health emergency.\u201d The reality, however, is far more complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women may have lower mortality rates, but they bear the brunt of the major secondary impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, which\u00a0 have worsened their already weaker social and economic status<\/a>.<\/span> The pandemic has led to increases in<\/a> gender based violence, unwanted pregnancies, stillbirths, and maternal deaths.<\/span> Anxiety and depression in women have risen, and more girls have been forced out of school and into child marriages<\/a>.<\/span> Women have more exposure to covid-19 in the workplace as they constitute 70% of health and social care workers globally<\/a><\/span>, and have faced more challenges returning to work. People of non-binary genders have also experienced the negative effects of sex-specific covid-19 lockdown measures<\/a> adopted by some countries,<\/span> and have struggled to obtain appropriate sexual, reproductive, and mental healthcare.<\/span><\/p>\n

But covid-19 must not become another battlefield in the so-called \u201cgender war.\u201d Positioning one gender or another as the \u201cbiggest victim\u201d in a health emergency that affects everyone everywhere is divisive and obscures the fact that all aspects of men\u2019s and women\u2019s health and wellbeing are seriously affected, albeit in very different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Until covid-19, researchers and advocates for men\u2019s and women\u2019s health have generally worked in separate silos. Women\u2019s health advocates have often been cautious about working with men\u2019s health advocates, arguing that political priority for the health of women and girls, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights, is inadequate and fragile, and fearing that increased attention on men\u2019s health would shift much needed priority and resources. Meanwhile, men\u2019s health organisations, fewer in number, have struggled to carve out a niche in a gender field dominated by women\u2019s health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Women\u2019s health advocates have flagged barriers to women\u2019s health driven by systemic gender inequality, gendered social norms, and social institutions led by and favouring men. Men\u2019s health advocates, perceiving that their concerns are often overlooked, have emphasised that \u201cgender\u201d has been incorrectly seen as synonymous with “women.” Men\u2019s health issues have often been marginalised because of a tendency to blame men for \u201crecklessness\u201d rather than acknowledge the role of male gender norms as a social determinant of health. Men\u2019s health advocates have not, however, consistently challenged male power and privilege, nor endorsed calls for more women in global health leadership. Both \u201csides\u201d have at times positioned men\u2019s and women\u2019s health interests in oppositional ways, rather than acknowledging that they are inextricably linked and mutually dependant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Covid-19 has challenged us to think and act differently. This pandemic has shown that not all men and women are equal in their health vulnerability or access to power. Men from groups marginalized by poverty, race, ethnicity, or class are not privileged in health decision making or access to care and may face higher illness severity and mortality<\/a>.<\/span> The same is true of women. Resilient health systems must be rooted in gender equity, with diversity and intersectionality<\/a><\/span> as key entry points to reach the most vulnerable of any gender.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing women\u2019s and men\u2019s health advocacy together<\/b><\/p>\n

As organisations working for men\u2019s and women\u2019s health, we joined the Gender and COVID-19 Working Group<\/a><\/span> to share resources, data, and solutions as the virus took hold. We have understood in a new way that our common interests lie in the development of a gender responsive health system that identifies and meets the health needs of all genders<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A call to action for a gendered, intersectional, and equitable approach to health<\/b><\/p>\n

By understanding what led men\u2019s and women\u2019s health advocates to work separately in the past, while recognizing the advantages of working together in the future, we will get traction for advancing gender responsive health systems as a crucial path forward. We will therefore adopt a \u201ctwin track\u201d approach, working on distinct men\u2019s and women\u2019s health agendas where appropriate, while collaborating on common issues where a gender responsive approach is most equitable and effective. We will strive to<\/span> engage in an open dialogue on opportunities for active partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n

We urge the global health community to adopt this genuinely holistic and intersectional approach to health, considering the unique needs of all genders as well as different, socially driven health needs. We also welcome feedback and collaboration to strengthen this approach toward gender responsive health systems.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We highlight four areas for action:<\/b><\/p>\n