title: [Historical retrospect on women's health in our century].
abstract: At this turn of the century, we may look back on a hundred years of major social changes with a huge impact on women's health, many of them related to women's role in reproduction. Effective contraception has become available to all women, and access to safe abortion has been secured through legislation. The majority of women are now in paid employment and women's position in society is dramatically improved. The decrease in mortality has affected women and men differently. Women live longer than men, but they tend to be afflicted by chronic non-lethal diseases. Issues which earlier were kept out of the public debate on women's health are now part of that debate. The improvements in women's health are not only a consequence of changing living conditions and better health services; they are also linked to changing attitudes to sexuality, love and marriage.
authors.affiliation: Institutt for samfunnsmedisinske fag, Det medisinske fakultet, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Trondheim.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schei
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rostad
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000266:history; D019049:Developed Countries; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D019529:Sexuality; D016387:Women's Health