Expanding the visibility of women's work: Policy implications

Abstract

S ocie ta l concep tua l i za t ions and images of women and work have an impact on the way health and social policies are formulated and how these policies in turn affect the lives, health, and wellbeing of women. Nurses, the majority of whom are women, have an inherent interest in issues of women's work and women's health. Our purpose in writing this article is to examine the policy implications for women's health that stem from the dominant societal images of women's work. In our discussion, we attempt to uncover the inherent contrasts and inconsistencies between media images, the changing Social and economic realities of women's work, and health and social policies. We advocate the active involvement of nurses in expanding the visibility of women's work and in promoting gender-sensitive policies related to women's work and health poli-