Gender and the COVID-19 pandemic: a review of the Brazilian scientific production in health sciences

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Brazilian scientific production in health sciences, which incorporates gender issues into the COVID-19 pandemic studies. We searched for publications in the bibliographic health databases; their results were categorized into thematic axes and then analyzed. Our work does not only aim to characterize how gender asymmetry is addressed in health sciences but also acknowledges the repercussions of the pandemic pointed out on women’s health. Women suffered severely from increased unemployment, domestic overload, partner violence, emotional disorders, and their quality of life, showing that political actions to fight the pandemic, when not inspected through the lens of gender inequalities, potentially prompt more significant vulnerabilities for groups already vulnerable before the health crisis, such as women, notably when racialized and poor, which also includes proper professional qualification of the primary care network and health professionals with regards to gender approaches, as noted in the literature reviewed.

Reflections about Reproductive Planning in Brazil During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…However, in Brazil, reproductive and sexual rights have not advanced enough to meet the needs for access to reproductive planning services. This scenario was even worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, when women were affected in various ways: an overload of domestic work, care for children, care for sick or elderly family members, a need to contribute to family income inside or outside of the home, unemployment and physical and mental exhaustion (Sousa et al, 2021).…”