Review

New energy on inequality

Gender inequalities in health
Ellen Annandale and Kate Hunt (eds)
Open University Press, 1999, £15.99

In view of recent evidence that the health gap between different groups in Britain has widened, and the renewed political commitment to tackling health inequalities, this collection of essays written by some of the foremost experts in health and gender studies is a timely publication.

Its focus is industrialised countries, mainly Britain, with perspectives on aspects of the US and Eastern European experience. The papers explore new theoretical and methodological means towards improving our understanding of the subtle, and not so subtle, sources of health inequalities. These have arisen from the rapid social, political and economic upheaval that characterised many societies in the latter part of the 20th century.

The contributors’ willingness to engage in critical reflection of gender inequalities in health is stimulating. The contributors examine how these inequalities have been perceived in the past, and how this constrained the questions asked and the research conducted, to set the scene before trying to move the policy debate forwards in new directions.

This book injects new energy into trying to tackle a problem which unfortunately, like Topsy, seems to be growing. It will be a useful educational resource for anyone with an interest in health policy or gender issues.