What role does gender play in healthcare?
Caregiving, unpaid work, longer life spans- these are issues that impact many women in Australia’s health system.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that women account for 71% of primary carers of older people and people with disabilities, and mothers spend twice as much time caring for young children than fathers. Informal care means a lower income, and the combination means women often don’t look after themselves.
They are also living longer than the male counterparts, and living longer with chronic disease, so how does our health system accommodate the needs of women?
Michelle Digiacomo has been asking this very question. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health at UTS.
Image: Fuente: COM SALUD on Flickr.
