Medico-politics of Gendered Health: The Case of Cardiovascular Prevention in East and West Germany, 1949-1990

This paper analyses the gendered understanding of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in East and West Germany between 1949 and 1990. In both Germanys, so I want to argue, the connection between gender roles and socio-political thinking shaped the gendered course of prevention programmes. By considering the gendered nature of prevention programmes, I aim to contribute to the history of preventive health care in post-war Germany. Peter Baldwin has shown that the historical analysis of prevention practices can provide insights into the political and cultural contexts, in which they are applied and the link between concepts and structures in the development of prevention programmes. Accordingly, for the German case, the paper will highlight the relevance of interesting politics and cultural continuities by analysing the adaptation of an established health care system to social change and shifts in medical discourse.