A look at gender in research. A qualitative analysis

Objective: To find out the views of a group of national women experts on gender and health on the key elements to consider in research with a gender perspective, and what are the resistance barriers when trying to include this perspective in the research. Design: Meeting of a group of experts. Two types of analysis, discourse analysis, analysis of group outputs were used. Location: Zaragoza. Participants: The group consists of six experts. An expert was defined as person accredited with specific training in the subject, and/or has presented her research at seminars, workshops, conferences on gender and health in recent years, or belongs to one of the networks of research on gender and heath. Method: Qualitative analysis. Results: Research with a gender perspective should meet the health needs and problems of both men and women, with those issues that contribute to determining the influence of gender on people's health being of special interest. The methodology should reflect this perspective throughout the research process and the variables should have gender explanatory potential. The main resistance barriers that prevent the inclusion of this perspective were related to the scientific institution, to feminism, and to a lack of training. Conclusions: A project cannot be considered to have a gender perspective if it does not include the analysis of variables with a gender explanatory potential and is not designed to help reduce inequalities between men and women. Knowing the resistance barriers that hinder this approach can guide future training. (C) 2010 Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.