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What is Gender Medicine?

Gender Medicine deals with sex as an influencing factor on illnesses as well as on medical treatment, research and prevention.

Sex in this sense does not mean man* or woman*¹ as opposite poles, but as a continuum composed of biological and psychosocial influences. Femaleness and maleness are made up of the following:

1. genetical or core sex (according to a person’s sex chromosones)
2. gonadal sex (according to the formation of the gonads)
3. genital sex (according to the physical, external sex characteristics)
4. mental sex (the sexual self-identification)
5. social sex (according to the social role attributed by the outside world)

On the one hand, Gender Medicine deals with the question of sex differences from the subcellular to the body level. On the other hand, it researches the social, mental and cultural influences exerted on the occurrence, course and treatment of illnesses.

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Sex (sex and gender) is increasingly recognized by science as exerting an important influence on health and illness, while diversity is also attracting more attention. Not only sex, but also age, economic circumstances and social background are showing their medical relevance on the level of symptoms, the establishment of diagnoses, prevention, treatment and the efficacy of medication. Taking a conscious look at Gender Medicine as a cross-cutting material that becomes apparent in all medical disciplines promises enhanced knowledge and consequently improved medical offerings.

¹  Note: The asterisk at man* or woman*¹ shows the constructedness of gender determination. The asterisk is used to show that people are intended, who perceive themselves independently of the sex they were born into, namely male* or female*.  https://www.quixkollektiv.org/glossar/gendersensible-schreibweisen/

Further information:

What is Gender Medicine?

Compulsory Courses in Gender Medicine

Optional Courses in Gender Medicine and Diversity

Gender Mainstreaming Tools