Integrating Sex/Gender into Environmental Health Research: Development of a Conceptual Framework

Gabriele Bolte, Katharina Jacke, Katrin Groth, Ute Kraus, Lisa Dandolo, Lotta Fiedel, Malgorzata Debiak, Marike Kolossa-Gehring, Alexandra Schneider and Kerstin Palm
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Gabriele Bolte: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Katharina Jacke: Gender and Science Research Unit, Institute of History, Humboldt-University of Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
Katrin Groth: Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health-Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Ute Kraus: Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
Lisa Dandolo: Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Lotta Fiedel: Gender and Science Research Unit, Institute of History, Humboldt-University of Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
Malgorzata Debiak: Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health-Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Marike Kolossa-Gehring: Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health-Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Alexandra Schneider: Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
Kerstin Palm: Gender and Science Research Unit, Institute of History, Humboldt-University of Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: There is a growing awareness about the need to comprehensively integrate sex and gender into health research in order to enhance the validity and significance of research results. An in-depth consideration of differential exposures and vulnerability is lacking, especially within environmental risk assessment. Thus, the interdisciplinary team of the collaborative research project INGER (integrating gender into environmental health research) aimed to develop a multidimensional sex/gender concept as a theoretically grounded starting point for the operationalization of sex and gender in quantitative (environmental) health research. The iterative development process was based on gender theoretical and health science approaches and was inspired by previously published concepts or models of sex- and gender-related dimensions. The INGER sex/gender concept fulfills the four theoretically established prerequisites for comprehensively investigating sex and gender aspects in population health research: multidimensionality, variety, embodiment, and intersectionality. The theoretical foundation of INGER’s multidimensional sex/gender concept will be laid out, as well as recent sex/gender conceptualization developments in health sciences. In conclusion, by building upon the latest state of research of several disciplines, the conceptual framework will significantly contribute to integrating gender theoretical concepts into (environmental) health research, improving the validity of research and, thus, supporting the promotion of health equity in the long term.

Keywords: gender; sex; intersectionality; embodiment; health equity; inequality; social determinants; environment; concept; model; framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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