Network 12-1.pdf - Canadian Women's Health Network

A different perspective
The following are the eight pillars
of the comprehensive feminist
approach to health:
While biomedicine is a mechanistic
concept of the body that
divides the individual into a collection
of component
parts, the comprehensive
approach is
based on a conception
of the human being
as a whole (body and
mind) interacting
with their social and
physical environment.
Thus, this approach defines health
in a holistic* way, as the result of
social relationships.
In contrast to a homogenizing
vision of health, the comprehensive
feminist approach advocates
the recognition of the physiological
and social differences between
the sexes, while at the same time
recognizing the differences between
individuals, both women
and men. This acknowledgement
of a person’s many different characteristics
— whether they are a
man or a woman, rich or poor, gay
or straight, living with a disability
or not, etc. — is called intersectionality.
According to the comprehensive
feminist approach, in order to
improve health, the social determinants
of health must be taken into
account; these are the factors that
have the greatest impact on health,
such as income, employment and
housing.
Contrary to an interventionist,
cure-oriented medicine, the
comprehensive feminist approach
believes a population’s health cannot
be improved without prevention and
health promotion. Health is a matter
of social justice. Consequently,
It is essenal to exercise
vigilance and crical thinking
with respect to knowledge
that is presented as universal
governments must not abdicate their
responsibility to enact legislation and
regulations in all areas that affect the
determinants of health.
Self-care, taking charge of one’s
own health, is another of the pillars
of the comprehensive feminist
approach. This is something that has
traditionally been promoted by Quebec
feminists, particularly in women’s
health centres. Self-care involves
a personal effort to understand the
links between our health and our life
circumstances. It aims to achieve a
more egalitarian therapeutic relationship
based on respect, communication,
and the full participation of the
person consulting the health care
professional.
Therapists and physicians are
expected to show respect for people’s
autonomy and their right to
informed consent. Informed consent
is a fundamental right, so therapists
and physicians have a responsibility
to provide all available information
to those who consult them.
Thus, certain types of
biomedical knowledge historically
based on the exclusion of
women must be reexamined.
It is essential to exercise vigilance
and critical thinking with
respect to knowledge that is
presented as universal,
often with the support
of economic interests
(the pharmaceutical
industry, for example).
Finally, the comprehensive
feminist
approach to health is
distinguished from the
dominant medical approach
in its openness to alternative
approaches. However, these
approaches must also be underpinned
by guidelines and regulations
to safeguard the rights
of the individual, both in their
relationship with the health
professional and in their choice
of the approach to health care
that best suits them.
The full document Changeons de
Lunettes (French only) is
available to order at the website of
the Réseau québécois d’action pour
la santé des femmes (RQASF )
www.rqsaf.com
The RQASF is an provincial
nonprofit mulitdiscplinary organziation.
Their mission is to work
in solidarity to better the physical
and mental health of women of all
walks of life. To learn more about
their activities, consult their website
10 FALL/.WINTER 2009/2010 NETWORK