The Gender Lens Tool
The Gender Lens Tool can be used to identify gaps and differences in health information from a gender perspective. By using a Gender Lens, we can examine any area of the medical literature with gender inmind and can create a health based framework to consider how the multiple [biopsychosocial] spheres of influence contribute to a woman’s health:
♦ biology
♦ social structure
♦ education
♦ economic factors
Incidence and prevalence, diagnosis, risk factors, treatment efficacy, and disease progression are allinfluenced by gender. Like using a pair of glasses to correct our vision, the Gender Lens Tool helps focusour attention on gender differences and identify aspects of medical care and disease that require further research.
The Gender Lens Tool helps us close gaps in medical knowledge to improve health outcomes at the population level. Become familiar with The Gender Lens Tool and apply it to other problems in medicineand health care – begin to practice from a perspective informed by an understanding of gender and health.
Using the Gender Lens Tool
Use this tool to guide the exploration of your clinical topic.
STEP 1: Choose a clinical area (eg. asthma, lung cancer, diabetes) and fill in the Gender Lens Tool
STEP 2: ARE THERE GENDER DIFFERENCES?
If not, you may need to do a literature search
STEP 3: WHAT FACTORS MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THESE DIFFERENCES?
Hypothesize as to which biological and gender factors might contribute to the differences that you havediscovered to see if there is any information available in the literature to support your hypotheses,appreciating that there is likely to be significant gaps in our knowledge.
STEP 4: IDENTIFY THE GAPS, ADDRESS THE GAPS
Engage your colleagues, your teachers, your friends and as well the internet to gather data that may begin to fill the holes in understanding and knowledge.
