Gender medicine from a philosophical and legal perspective: a “critical theory” of medical knowledge?

Gender medicine is a very interesting field of research, on account of its critical, deconstructive and innovative function with regard to medical knowledge. Its attention to gender is also likely to favour dialogue with other theoretical and research perspectives, first and foremost with sociology and philosophy of law. In these disciplines, in particular, over the past few decades we have witnessed a special attention to “gender”-based discrimination, considered as a mechanism by which the various societies have historically attributed individuals roles and statuses, imposing what we know as “gender identity”. Over time, this consideration has led to the gradual emersion of women’s political and legal standing, thereby favouring the recognition of their full entitlement to rights. The latter undoubtedly also include the right to health, which gender medicine favours in its effectivity. By adopting a legal standpoint, the Authors discuss the origins and recent history of “gender criticism” to highlight its similarities with gender-specific medicine, which would appear to act as a critical theory of medicine. Indeed, they share the presuppositions, strategies and purposes: the equal promotion of differences and the effectivity of rights.