[The multidimensional concept of health and the gender category: theoretical and applicative perspectives]

Il concetto multidimensionale di salute e la categoria di genere: prospettive teoriche e applicative

Abstract

This paper will examine the difficulties encountered in the bio-medical approach adopted to understand the psycho-social needs present in the clinical observation of a diseased body to the treatment of the person. Traditional interpretation tools are not sufficient to comprehend the complexity of the factors involved in prevention processes, and the risk is that the introduction of new approaches will be delayed. Knowledge is an interactive, communicative and social process, meaning our focus shifts from the things we see to the way we see them, only to see what we don't normally see. As a result, the multi-dimensional concept of health implies a revised disciplinary status, particularly if the concept of gender is not to be considered synonymous with sex, but rather an interpretative category of the differences that characterize the roles, expectations and obligations of men and women from a cultural perspective. Indeed, the way in which we live our everyday life, our use of time, our work and family lives, opportunities and relationships, in addition to our access to services condition our perception of health and result in the risk of disease onset. It is for this reason that we need to examine doctor-patient relationships and caregiving practices.