Publications

 (2000) Domestic Violence: Women’s Way Out is intended to draw attention to violence against women and girls as a priority problem and to identify resources that can help to address it. The situation analysis of domestic violence reveals the complexity of the problem and shows that solving it will require coordinated intersectoral policies and action, with the participation of both the State and civil society. This research protocol is the result of the cumulative work and commitment of numerous investigators, activists, and officials to address violence against women and improve the services available for women affected by it.

The development of the protocol began with the drafting and review of a preliminary version by the team of investigators in the course of three workshops. The final protocol was applied in 15 communities in 10 countries, 7 in Central America and 3 in the Andean area, and it was tailored to each country’s conditions. Through field interviews, qualitative data were collected from a wide range of women, service providers, and community members, representing groups of varying age, ethnicity, socioeconomic level, and marital status.

This document is a compilation of existing resources (reports, manuals, guidelines etc.) on mainstreaming gender in health projects, programs and policies.

This paper explores the specific determinants of indigenous women’s health status and situation from a gender roles and relations perspective. It will begin by examining the social status and health determinants of indigenous women throughout the Americas, using available data and examples from seven countries (Canada,Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and the United States). The paper will continue with a look at health outcomes among indigenous women, identifying the major causes of morbidity and mortality for selected communities.

Finally, the paper outlines the challenges and opportunities for addressing indigenous women’s health and gender equity in the Americas, using specific case studies and existing best practices to support a comprehensive set of recommendations.

Around the world, efforts to reduce poverty and enhance development have had greater success where women and men have relatively equal opportunities. In much of Latin America, however, women's low social status, poor health, and subordination to men persist. Governments in the region increasingly acknowledge the need to promote gender equity in health and other aspects of development, but the data to monitor disparities between men and women, and progress in closing the gaps have not been readily available.

This data sheet profiles gender differences in health and development in 48 countries in the Americas, focusing on women's reproductive health, access to key health services, and major causes of death. Its objective is to raise awareness of gender inequities in the region and to promote the use of sex-disaggregated health statistics for policies and programs. This effort is consistent with the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, adopted by 189 member countries at the UN Millennium Summit (2000), which focus on achieving measurable improvements in people's lives, including greater gender equality.

The data sheet also provides basic population and development indicators and information on other factors that influence health, including education, employment, political participation, and risk factors. Staff of the Pan American Health Organization and the Population Reference Bureau compiled this information using data from official national sources as well as data collected by specialized international agencies.
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PAHO Gender Workshop - this intended gave an introduction to the concepts of gender and gender analysis, and provide them with practical tools to begin integrating a gender perspective into health policies and programmes.

This paper will discuss the effect of female and male gender roles, power relations and sexual behaviour on the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latin American and Caribbean Region (LAC), specifically exploring women's vulnerability to the epidemic. The issues of violence, commercial sex-work and sex tourism,human trafficking, population displacement and crisis will also be addressed in relation to women and men’s susceptibilities to HIVAIDS. The discussion will be situated within the framework of the commitments made at the 2001 UNGASS, and their critical implications for the national, regional and international response to the epidemic.

(1997) Developed by PAHO's Woman, Health and Development Program in 1997 (currently the Gender, Ethnicity and Health Unit), this guide provides a structure and some tools for a workshop on looking at health through a gender lens, understanding men’s and women’s health-illness processes and improving the equity with which roles, responsibilities and rewards are distributed in health promotion and care.

The analysis offered in this case study considers some of the social underpinnings of risk for homicide and involvement in violence, with the goal of improving the sensitivity and effectiveness of policy and programs though a public health and multi-sector approach to prevention.

 Gender, Health and Development in the Americas - Basic Indicators 2007.