Activists fought to empower women’s knowledge, gain control over reproductive rights, and reclaim power from the paternalistic medical community. Feminists demanded improved healthcare and the elimination of sexism in healthcare systems. The women’s health movement, which emerged during the 1960s and 1970s along with the second wave of feminism, recognized the female body as the vessel that mediates male dominance. An alternative approach, that integrates feminist thinking and practices into medical science, practice and policies is likely to result in a deep and beneficiary change in women’s health worldwide. In this article we show that while GM may promote some aspects of women’s health, at the same time it reaffirms conservative positions on sex and gender that can serve to justify discrimination and disregard the impact of society on women’s lives and health. Contrary to feminist practice, GM is practiced by physicians and scientists, neglecting voices of other disciplines and of women themselves. The effect of gender-related violence, race, ethnic conflicts, poverty, immigration and discrimination on women’s health is seldom recognized. We found that while biological differences between men and women are emphasized, the impact of society on women is under- represented. We conducted a review of IGM publications and policy statements in scientific journals and popular media. The international society for gender medicine (IGM) was embraced by the FDA and granted funds by the European Union to formulate policies for medical practice and research. Gender Medicine (GM) is a new discipline that studies the effect of sex/gender on general health. The feminist women’s health movement empowered women’s knowledge regarding their health and battled against paternalistic and oppressive practices within healthcare systems.
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