Social determinants of health Health is a socially

Social determinants of health · Health is a socially constructed reality, a product of the physical and social environment in which we live and act

Social determinants of health Differences in people’s health status, including those by gender, arise not only from biological differences but also as a consequence of differentials in social and economic status

Social determinants of health Social causes of illness such as poverty and lack of access to health services are not a ‘given’. They are often related to issues of social justice and equity.

Social determinants of health Social causes of illness are therefore not inevitable but amenable to change, given the political will. Social determinants of illness are amenable to policy interventions.

Gender as a social determinant of health rarely operates in isolation. They are mediated by other factors. For example, long distance from a health centre may be a ‘political’ factor – but it affects women and men differently because of gender. Poverty may affect all children in a household – but the way in which boys and girls are affected will often be different.

Gender as a social determinant of health Addressing the causes and consequences of gender-related inequities in health therefore requires addressing multiple factors at once – and a multipronged strategy.