Focus On Women's Health

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 11:04

Focus on women's health

Women are, one might think, superior to men in terms of health: They live longer, go to the doctor more often and are more precautionary. Women over the age of 50 make up the majority of the Austrian population. In 2013, life expectancy was 5.1 years longer than that of men: it was 83.6 years for women and 78.5 years for men. However, women are not “healthier” or “sicker” than men, only the frequencies for certain diseases differ.

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• Continue reading
• more on the subject
• Advice, downloads & tools
• Equal access to healthcare
• Heart attacks often go unnoticed
• Women eat, smoke and drink differently
• The female psyche
• Protection during pregnancy and childbirth
• Manager for all situations
• The "part-time trap"
• Violence against women

Equal access to healthcare

In 1982 Austria joined the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women). 186 states also signed Article 12. This states that women are given the same access to health care and family planning services as men. Furthermore, the participating states committed themselves to providing women with adequate reproductive health care (pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding). The general equality of men and women is anchored in the UN human rights charter.

Heart attacks often go unnoticed

The first and second causes of death for women and men are cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancer. Younger women are more likely to die from a heart attack: By the age of fifty, women are twice as likely as men to die from a heart attack. Women, like many other diseases, often have different main symptoms of a heart attack. A heart attack shows less “typical” symptoms (eg pressure pain in the chest that radiates into the left arm), but manifests itself through pain in the jaw, back or abdomen, among other things. As a result, it is more easily overlooked in women and the risk of dying from it is higher. The most common malignant tumor in women is breast cancer.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes must also be assessed on a gender-specific basis. In women, gestational diabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes seven times. It was also found that some drugs (e.g. certain antibiotics) have to be administered differently in both sexes. The tissue of women is richer in fat, for example on the gluteal muscles. This fact must be taken into account when choosing the injection site. The effects of drugs can also differ. The risk of side effects is increased in women.

Women eat, smoke and drink differently

Girls / women tend to follow common beauty ideals, girls in particular are more often dissatisfied with their external appearance. As a rule, they are also the more controlled, often health-conscious eaters. You can find more information under “Women and men eat differently”. There are also differences in nicotine consumption. Women tend to be more addicted to the glowing stick, it is more difficult to quit. Stressful situations aggravate the desire for a cigarette. The number of women smokers increases compared to smokers. For more information, see Women smoke “differently” from men. Women tend to drink excessive alcohol out of grief, men often slide into addiction due to the socially common drinking together. For more information, see Alcohol & Addiction.

The female psyche

About 15 to 20 percent of women suffer from a mental crisis or depression after giving birth. For more information, see Birth. Further critical risk factors for the mental health of women include double burdens (eg work and family), puberty, unemployment, experiences of violence or illnesses. Further information can be found under Psyche & Soul and under Mental Illnesses.

Protection during pregnancy and childbirth

Women are entitled to maternity leave eight weeks before to eight weeks after giving birth. Then the waiting period usually begins. There are several ways of receiving childcare allowance. For more information on the subject, see pregnancy and childbirth.

Manager for all situations

Today women often face multiple burdens. Family, job, partnership - maybe taking care of close relatives. The modern woman is a "multi-tasking manager". Of course, the man can also assume different multiple roles. The majority of single parents are female. The associated challenges (e.g. financially, in terms of time) can - like the multiple exposure - have a negative impact on the state of health.

The "part-time trap"

The latest gender analysis by Statistics Austria shows that women have caught up in terms of education and working life in recent years. In 2012/13, the proportion of high school diplomas by women was 58.3 percent, 58.7 percent of university degrees were obtained by women. The employment rate for women aged 15 to 64 rose from 59.7 percent (2004) to 66.9 percent (2014). This increase is mainly due to an increase in the part-time quota. In 2014, 74.3 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 49 who have children under the age of 15 worked part-time. The income of women is still well below that of men. According to the “Gender Pay Gap” published by Eurostat, the gender pay gap in the private sector in 2013 was 23 percent (based on gross hourly earnings).

Men are also more likely to hold management positions. As a result, women's pensions are also lower and the risk of poverty is higher. Single mothers are also among those particularly at risk of poverty. Poverty is a risk factor for health. People with a lower level of education and income die earlier, are sick more often and are usually not very health-conscious.

Violence against women

According to estimates by the police, ninety percent of all acts of violence are committed in the family or in the immediate social environment. Ninety percent of those affected are women, and the perpetrators are their respective partners. There are different forms of violence, such as physical (e.g. beatings), psychological (e.g. threats) or sexual (e.g. rape). Women of all ages and all social classes are affected, whether married or in partnership. The majority of women affected by violence have children who have to witness these acts of violence against their mother. Of course, men can also be affected by violence. The health consequences of violence include injuries and mental illness. For more information and contact points, see Violence in the Family.