Gender differences can influence women’s and men’s exposure to risk factors or vulnerability, their access to and understanding of health information, differences in health status and the services they receive. When individuals do not conform to established gender norms, they may face discrimination or exclusion, with additional negative health impacts.

Health interventions can make assistance responsive and fair by:

• Describe the specific priorities, needs of and the dynamics that affect women and men, girls and boys in different age groups for emergency health services;
• Design activities to address the needs, roles and power dynamics at home and in the community that might deprive groups of equal access to health services;
• Locate the types of health services based on the needs expressed by girls, boys, men and women in different age groups, including adolescent girls and boys and older women and men; and
• Record and compare the different health results for women and men, girls and boys in comparable age groups. Review activities where there are project problems, including barriers.

Gender inequality in health care presents itself as women have to pay higher insurance premiums than men. Another form of gender inequality in health care is the different rates at which men and women are insured; more women than men are insured in the United States. Gender inequalities in health care also revolve around different medicines are covered by insurance companies. For example, the contraceptive mandate demonstrates gender inequities in the different medicine that insurance companies are willing to cover for male and female patients.