Gender Perspective in environmental and occupational health

Introduction: Environmental Health Sciences study not only the interrelationship of environmental factors but also examine the environment together with human health from a gender perspective including work environment as a continuum with general environment.  This perspective deserves our collective attention in order to ensure the field addresses gender and recognizes the need to define new areas of research, generate appropriate networks and increase scientific efforts and translational research in this area. The goals of Gender, Health and Environment network are to further the development of a substantive gender perspective in environmental and occupational health research in Latin America and to facilitate the creation of networks and communities of practice to enable the mainstreaming of gender in environmental health research, policy, and programs.  

Methodology: Through various workshops and joint projects between social and environmental sciences, progress has been made in building a methodology and had carried out specific research, which will be illustrated in the symposium.  

Results: Progress and results in projects related with exposure to nitrates in rural agricultural population, work done with academic women and achievements in projects which combines research-action (the case of mercury in the health sector) will be presented. Editorial plan will be presented with its progress.  

Discussion: These examples allow us to see the methodological richness that can be obtained by incorporating a gender perspective in the study of health problems related with occupational and general environment. It is needed to identify broadly agreed upon strategies for expanding research, creating multidisciplinary networks, and increasing funding to improve environmental health in Latin America that incorporates a gender perspective