Gender and Access to Health Care in Subsaharan Africa

In this course we will examine how gender issues impact access to health care in Sub-Saharan Africa. In September 2000, the international community adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations Millennium Declaration. Students will analyze and measure how successful some African nations have been in dealing with the following four MDGs: to promote gender equality and empower women; to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal health; and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. We will study from an anthropological perspective the health care systems of Cameroon and Burkina Faso to assess how gender has shaped access to health care in these two countries and beyond.