Ewha Med J.  2017 Jul;40(3):108-114. 10.12771/emj.2017.40.3.108.

Women and Health in Korea: Women as Medical Service Beneficiaries and Providers

• Kim JS

• KMID: 2386387
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2017.40.3.108

Abstract

In order to examine the issue of women and health in Korean society, we need to adopt a new approach to consider health and body as a subject of social theory beyond the biomedical model. Health and diseases are not objective entities defined by universal standards that are separate from the patient or physician's life experience, but rather the products of social, cultural, and political processes. From this point of view, this paper explores Korean women and health in two aspects of health and medical field, that is, women as medical service beneficiaries and providers. First, the gender paradox phenomenon"”women live longer, but suffer from more illnesses"”was confirmed by evaluating the physical and mental health status of women. The life expectancy of Korean women is longer, but their morbidity rate of physical and mental health and subjective health evaluation is worse than men. Second, as medical service providers, the present status of female doctors showed the horizontal and vertical segregation in the medical labor market despite of the increase of female doctors and medical students. We pointed out the problems of gender inequality in health care sector and discuss policy implications of "˜gender specific medicine' to improve women's health and medical education.

Keyword

Women; Health occupations; Sex factors; Medical education; Health policy

MeSH Terms

Diagnostic Self Evaluation
Education, Medical
Female
Health Care Sector
Health Occupations
Health Policy
Humans
Korea*
Life Change Events
Life Expectancy
Male
Mental Health
Sex Factors
Social Theory
Socioeconomic Factors
Students, Medical
Women's Health

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Life expectancy by sex (1970–2015). Modified from Ministry of Health and Welfare [13].

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  Fig. 2 Degree of stress (whether stress during the last 2 weeks) by sex. Modified from Ministry of Health and Welfare [13].

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  Fig. 3 Self-assessment of health by sex. *Percentage of respondents with very good and good self assessment of health. Modified from Ministry of Health and Welfare [16].

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  Fig. 4 Licensed physicians by sex: 2004–2015. Modified from Ministry of Health and Welfare [13].

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