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Background: All over the world men and women show different health patterns, and there can be many and various reasons for these differences. This thesis therefore evaluates the impact of gender equality on health. To do this, we must be able to measure gender equality. In this thesis, we develop two new measurements of gender equality and evaluate the relationship between gender equality and health. Methods: Two cross-sectional studies, one register-based and one survey study, are used to compare different measurements of gender equality and different measurements of health, and the relationship between them. Differences between men and women in relation to health outcome are also discussed in the thesis. The register study, comprising 1 097 202 individuals, is based on public registers and includes information on workplace, income, sickness absence, full-time/part-time work, level of education, parental leave and temporary parental leave. A gender equality measurement, the Organizational Gender Gap Index or OGGI, was constructed and 123 companies in two sectors were ranked using the index. Employees in 21 of the most and least gender-equal companies were invited to participate in a survey. A second gender equality index was constructed based on respondents' own reports regarding gender equality in their partner relationship. The variables measured were income, full-time/part-time work, educational level, and responsibilities for and sharing of household duties and parental leave. Both indices were evaluated using the single question: How gender equal is your workplace/your relationship with your partner? The four measurements were dichotomized and tested for a relationship to health. Health was measured by three different measurements: register-based sickness absence, self-reported sickness absence in the past year, and self-rated health. Results: The thesis has produced two new measurements of gender equality, described above. On gender equality in the partner relationship, we found a difference between men and women. Men perceive higher gender equality than they report, while women report more gender equality than they perceive. When it comes to gender equality at work, we found that employees perceive their company to be more gender equal than the OGGI index shows. This thesis confirms the findings that men have better health than women regardless of measurement. However, in this study we also found that increased gender equality decreases these differences. If employees perceive their company to be gender equal, they have higher odds of rating their health as good, and this is especially so for women. Conclusion: This thesis supports the hypothesis that differences in health between men and women can be related to a lack of gender equality. When men and women have different possibilities and power to shape society and their own lives, their health will be affected through embodiment of both biological and sociological determinants in accordance with the eco-social theory. Increased gender equality will decrease the differences in health between men and women through convergence. The theory of convergence explains why men and women are affected differently by greater gender equality. Greater gender equality will also decrease the social injustice between men and women and improve justice in accordance with the theory of justice to gender. The differences found between the indices and the single question on perceived gender equality make clear the need for "hard facts" as an complement to people's own views on gender equality...................................................................... |
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