Women and Healthcare

Women have healthcare requirements in addition to those of men because of their biology and gender roles. Due to their gender roles, they are frequently responsible for the health and healthcare of others. The resources they need to care for others may create constraints on their ability to care for themselves.

Also, it is important to consider the workplace when considering women's health issues because the position of women in the workforce has great impact on the healthcare they receive. Many businesses have recognized the need to create a more diverse workforce by selective hiring based on the need to increase selected groups in their workforce. Some businesses have been more proactive than others. For example, let's consider that a business workforce's diversity plan includes the following benchmarks:

• Maintain women's representation at a minimum of 60 percent.
• Increase women's representation in nontraditional occupations from 16 percent to 20 percent.
• Increase women's representation in senior positions (grade twelve and above or equivalent) from 28 percent to 35 percent.

On the basis of what you have learned so far, answer the following questions:

• How can the dimensions of diversity, such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion affect individual or collective healthcare needs and capabilities?
• Could the above statements constitute discriminatory hiring practices? Why or why not?
• What would the implications of diversity-based policy development be in relation to healthcare needs?
• Describe a workforce diversity plan using at least three dimensions of diversity. Additionally, explain how it relates to improved health-service delivery.