J Korean Acad Womens Health Nurs.  1999 Jul;5(2):237-244.

Women's Health and Equality of Men and Women

• Lee KH

Abstract

Women's health is directly related to economic and developmental level of their nations, and it is very much effected by socio-cultural factors which are related to gender discrimination. women's health needs have been oppressed and neglected in male-dominated society. For maintenance and promotion in women's health and improve of quality of life, the common idea of gender discrimination in our society and preference of having son rather than daughter from its certain from must be banished. Though the common idea of gender discrimination was a basic ideology in liberation of women, recently the aspect of difference rather than discrimination is an important matter and unique characteristics of women are strongly pointed and additionally harmonic living with men is getting to be a man idea in women's health. The social idea in gender discrimination was from christian culture in the western society and confucianism related the social norms of "Namzonyobe" (means men are honorable and women are low), "Samzongzido" (means women ought to obey certain three rules for the family), "Chilgeziak" (means seven wickedness of housewife) in this country, korea. Those ideas deprived women's ability in health management and in the decision making process for their health. Because of those cultural influences, still many pregnant women are experiencing artificial abortion when they know the fetus is a girl through ultrasound and amniocentesis. Nowadays there are many health problems of women in korea. The reasons are that Korea culture has complicatedly mixing with confucianism and western culture. Under the these cultural influences, change in value of beauty and trend of liberation in sexuality have brought out health problems, alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse in young women. In order to solve the women's health problem, first of all women have to come out of the passive manner of dependency on man. Also they should have the insight and the management and/or intervention ability of caring their health. It can be obtained through the family-society-nation wide approach as well as the approach for women themselves.

MeSH Terms

Amniocentesis
Beauty
Confucianism
Decision Making
Discrimination (Psychology)
Female
Fetus
Humans
Korea
Male
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1
Nuclear Family
Pregnant Women
Quality of Life
Sexuality
Smoke
Smoking
Substance-Related Disorders
Ultrasonography
Women's Health*
Smoke