Within the activities of the European Project: "School of Politics Hannah Arendt: feminine presence in the public sphere" a case study on Public Health is foreseen. This case study carried out by Prospecta has been supported by the Equal Opportunity Commissions of the Regione Marche and of the Provinces of Ancona, Ascoli Piceno and Macerata.
The general aim of the project is to foster the presence of women in the public sphere by documenting, experimenting and disseminating "good practices" carried out by women in politics, decision making and in social action. The intent is to define and implement new forms of feminine authority and new forms of public action on a local, national and European level.
The specific aim of the 'case study' on Public Health is to foster women's participation in health decision making in so far as women bring new values, new ideas, an innovative method of work and style of leadership which all contribute to increase the effectiveness of health care . Such an increased effectiveness justifies the second purpose of our project: to favour the dissemination of the method of work and style of leadership women resort to in this area.
The European Conference "Public Health: When Women Make the Difference" will offer an important occasion to discuss the shifting prospects women impress in this area. Moreover, it will offer the opportunity to set up a European network of women holding decision making positions in Public Health and for a declaration of intents to disseminate actions aimed at health promotion.
The Conference will examine the innovative contribution of women in the decision making process in Public Health, in giving answers to the emerging needs, giving voice to patients, in paying attention to gender differences in scientific research and in caring.
It will be introduced by Raffaella Lamberti, president of "Orlando" and co-ordinator of the European Project "School of Politics Hannah Harendt"; Paola Vinay of "Prospecta", co-ordinator of the case study on Public Health will briefly summarise the outcomes of the documentation work on "good practices" in Public Health: the particular work method women have (aimed at listening, working in teams, debating and taking care of the whole person), their style of leadership (aimed at seeking collegiality, sharing decisions, giving value to the different professions), their ability to give voice to the ill person and to pay attention to female specific aspects.
The Conference has four sessions to each one of which half a day discussion will be devoted. Each session foresees 2-3 introductory speeches and 4-5 brief speeches; considerable time will be devoted to discussion and to the presentation of experience of women acting "good practices"
The theme of the first session: "Deciding together: consent and equal dignity of different know how" refers to the decisional process and the shift in prospects toward collegiality, consent, toward the value given to the different professions and different 'know-how' brought about by many women with decisional roles in Health. Another shift in prospect underlined by women is integration between health and social care; this implies the joint action of different institutions to programme together health and social services apt to promote health and prevent illness.
In the first introductory speech to the session, Giovanna Vicarelli, will underline, in a sociological - historical perspective, the achievement of power of specialised medicine and the different professional choices of men and women. With the second introductory speech Margherita De Gaetano will underline the importance of connection building among different institutions in order to programme effective preventive social-health services. The other speakers will underline the importance of collegiality in decision-making, of different professions and know how, of interaction between social and health services.
The theme of the second session: "The woman brings the voice of the ill person to the centre" refers to an holistic approach apt to cure the whole person, taking into account also the psychological aspects and the every-day life of the individual; it will underline, moreover, the importance to give voice to the ill person, to her/his needs, to pay attention to gender and cultural differences.
The first introductory speech will be held by Kari Bjerke Karlsen of the Foundation of Higher Education of Kjeller in Norway, an expert on "Women and Health" and "Gender and Health". The introductory speech of Laura Corradi will face the problem of cancer, particularly of breast cancer, in marginal women seen trough the action of the American women's movement. The other speakers will confront with problems such as caring those who have cancer, giving voice to the woman with mental discomfort and with the humanisation of relationship with the hospitalised person and of death.
The third session: "Self consciousness and feminine energy" will face a theme confronted by the women's movement in most European countries: the over-medicalization of the woman's body and the recovery of physiological childbirth. The first speaker Franca Pizzini will face with this problem from a sociological point of view; Lea den Broeder will refer on the results of her research on the reason why Dutch pregnant women and midwives prefer hospital or home delivery; Verena Scmhid will speak about birth as a process of empowerment, of the instruments apt to promote feminine energy and of the new professionality of midwifes. The other speakers will underline the impact of the women's movement and women's organisation in this field and the recent positive changes in hospital routine.
The last session deals with a new and very important theme: "The attention to gender difference in scientific research and in care". Leonore C. Nicolaļ will bring her long experience as researcher and teacher devoted to promote a medical practice apt to take into account gender difference. Elvira Reale will underline the new prospects bought about when gender is taken into account. The other speakers cover the same theme with reference to: medical and pharmacological research, mental illness, cardiovascular problems, psychiatry, gastroenterolical problems related to violence, etc.
The Conclusions will take into account all the contribution given during the works of the Conference and at the end a Declaration of intents should be red and approved by the participants with a pledge of participants to build an international network and from authorities to promote the dissemination of the method of work women resort to, for a better and more effective Public Health.
