La reivindicación feminista del derecho a la salud

Abstract

Since the nineties of the last century a slow transformation is taking place in medicine field that questions the androcentrism of this science. The questioned aspects concern the gender stereotypes present in health care, the exclusion of women from clinical trials, or the lack of sufficient knowledge about the functioning of the women’s body. One of the aspects of this transformation is the growing interest in diseases that mainly affect women such as fibromyalgia and endometriosis. The associations of affected women claim our right to health, which is not yet being guaranteed effectively. The diseases are often confused with psychosomatic diseases and the diagnosis is delayed for years, with many specialists consulted. Resources are hardly invested in these diseases and, as a consequence, diagnostic techniques are poor and treatments are insufficient. Added to this are the extraordinary difficulties for accessing benefits for disability (when these diseases are disabling). These difficulties are the product of the lack of a gender perspective in the social security law. Gender mainstreaming is the legal requirement to incorporate this perspective into public policies and norms, which would lead to transformations in the health field.