Conversely, gender equality is a necessary condition to achieving good health.
Women also represent the majority of health care providers at home, in the community and on the job.
The health care sector must be encouraged to respond more effectively to woman abuse as a serious health issue. The Beijing Platform for Action stresses that women have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Women's enjoyment of this right is vital to women's lives and well being and their ability to participate in all areas of public and private life. In Canada Facts and figures are from Statistics Canada, unless otherwise noted In 1996, the average life expectancy was 81.4 years for women in Canada and 75.7 years for men. While women live longer than men do, they also suffer more from chronic diseases and disabilities.