Objectives: To examine the ability of the 2006 Spanish Health Survey (SHS-2006) to analyze the population's health from a gender perspective and identify gender-related inequalities in health, and to compare the 2006 version with that of 2003. Method: A contents analysis of the adults and households questionnaires was performed from the gender perspective, taking gender as (a) the basis of social norms and values, (b) the organizer of social structure: gender division of labor, double workload, vertical/horizontal segregation, and access to resources and power, and (c) a component of individual identity. Results: The 2006 SHS uses neutral language. The referent is the interviewee, substituting the head of the family/breadwinner of past surveys. A new section focuses on reproductive labor (caregiving and domestic tasks) and the time distribution for these tasks. However, some limitations in the questions about time distribution were identified, hampering accurate estimations. The time devoted to paid labor is not recorded. The 2006 version includes new information about family commitments as an obstacle to accessing healthcare and on the delay between seeking and receiving healthcare appointments. Conclusions: The SHS 2006 introduces sufficient variations to confirm its improvement from a gender perspective. Future surveys should reformulate the questions about the time devoted to paid and reproductive labor, which is essential to characterize gender division of labor and double workload. Updating future versions of the SHS will also involve gathering information on maternity/paternity and parental leave. The 2006 survey allows delays in receiving healthcare to be measured, but does not completely allow other delays, such as diagnostic and treatment delays, to be quantified. (C) 2010 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.
