Year: 2005
Type: article
Abstract: This paper considers the literature on the determinants of urban women’s health through a political economy perspective. This approach is concerned with how society organizes and distributes social and economic resources. These distributions of resources lead to qualitatively different environments that affect women’s health. While there is increasing concern about the quality of urban environments in Canada and their impact on the health of Canadians in general, and women in particular, there is little consideration of how urban environments—especially the social determinants of health— influence women’s health. Instead, a review of the women’s urban health research literature reveals a primary focus on the incidence and prevalence of a variety of disorders among women and issues of access to services and treatment. When urban environments are considered, inquiry is limited to identifying the locations in which women with a variety of afflictions are found. Studies rarely consider the political, economic, and social forces that create these disadvantaged environments, nor how these environments lead to poor health. This paper draws on the emerging social determinants of health literature to present new directions for women’s urban health research. In this article, I provide a paradigm for improving our understanding of urban environments and how they influence the health of Canadian
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Toba Bryant
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2248493366