title: [Gender inequity in health in contexts of environmental risk from mining and industrial activity in Mexico].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Analyze how gender inequity manifests in contexts of poverty in different environmental risk scenarios in Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative design based on six discussion groups and 54 in-depth interviews with women from six exposed communities: two to environmental manganese in a mining district, two in an industrial corridor, and two bordering a sanitary landfill. A document review of environmental and health studies in each area was done to relate them to the women's perspective on the problem.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the three case studies, by gender roles, women stay at home and do housework and, therefore, are subject to intense environmental exposure when carrying out their daily tasks, such as house cleaning. Interview and discussion group results were found to be related to epidemiological study results. In the case of the mining district, women's perceptions are consistent with study comments on adverse cognitive effects of manganese exposure. In all three cases, there are serious limitations on women's political participation in environmental risk management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to conditions of inequity, women are highly exposed to environmental health risks and their social participation in solving environmental problems is quite limited. These results have social and environmental policy implications in the areas studied, especially with regard to risk assessment, management, and communication.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Distrito Federal, México.
authors.forename: Minerva
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catalán-Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Dirección de Salud Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México, hriojas@insp.mx.
authors.forename: Horacio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riojas-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000633:toxicity; D008800:Mexico; D008906:Mining; D011203:Poverty; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012308:Risk Management; D012737:Sex Factors; D058992:Social Participation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008345:Manganese