I. FUTURE DIRECTIONS
There are opportunities for decision-makers, health service providers
and the public to use the knowledge about the connections between
income and health. In order to do this, they must:
- recognize the many complex and interwoven ways
in which income and gender affect health;
- consider the implications on health of decisions
made outside of the health care system;
- design and re-design health services systems in ways
which recognize the needs of low-income women;
- recognize that the impact of socio-economic inequalities
affects all aspects of women's health. This will require
a major shift in the perspective of health planners
and health care service providers, to incorporate
gender analysis in design, implementation and
evaluation throughout the health care system,
and not only in those programs with a specific
"women's health" mandate.
While we may not have a detailed understanding of the mechanisms
by which income and social status affect health, we know that the
connection is there. Now is the time to use the knowledge which
we do have to make changes to improve women's health.
