What do women want?ESC – Genoa 2002

Dr Anne Webb

Abacus Clinics for Contraception and Sexual

Health

Liverpool

UK

What do women want?• Lonely hearts• Shopping and seduction• Puzzlement, anger,

psychotherapy• Travel, finance, films, books• Feminists agonize over the war

in Afghanistan• Why do women want to learn

fly fishing from another woman?

HAPPINESS!

POWER!!

EVERYTHING!!!

What do women want?

• UNFPA• Women’s Health Research bulletin• Clinical Proceedings – pill formulations• Criticism of Bush’s gag rule• Marketing to women – “ what women care

about most is relationships; that they need to be appreciated, respected, engaged intellectually, understood and part of something larger than themselves”

TO BE STROKED LIKE A CATTO LOVE LIKE A WHORE AND TO LAUGH LIKE THE

BEARDED LADY AT THE CIRCUS

“The methods of fertility regulation represent a choice among

unpleasant alternatives. Not so much a positive choice but a

negative one. The least unpleasant of the unpleasant set of

alternatives. However consumers greatly prefer the available range to

no method at all”Snowden 1985

What women want from a method?

• Easy to use (91%)• Safe (90%)• Effective (89%)• Few or no side effects (85%)• Natural (72%)• Non-hormonal (63%)• Taken monthly (62%)• Quickly reversible (62%)

Successful services

• Appropriate language

• Culturally sensitive

• Information about other health concerns

• High quality care

• Feel safe and understand

• Flexible individualised services

• Voice in decision making for communities

To be comfortable.To be accepted as they are.

To be amused.To be loved.

Not to be lied to.Not to be harassed.Not to be abused.

Not to be used.

Sexual Health Service

• Contraception

• Sexually transmitted infections

• Unwanted pregnancy

• Sexual dysfunction

• Reproductive Health

IPPF - Charter on sexual and reproductive rights I

• Life

• Liberty and security of the person

• Equality and freedom from discrimination

• Privacy

• Freedom of thought

• Information and education

IPPF - Charter on sexual and reproductive rights II

• Choose whether to marry

• Decide whether and when to have children

• Health care and health protection

• Benefits of scientific progress

• Right to freedom of assembly and political participation

• Freedom from torture and ill treatment

Air for my grandchildren…Freedom to live without fear…

Freedom…Freedom from repression…

Respect…Freedom of space and self- expression…

Intimacy…Freedom..

Freedom to be one‘s own self…Whether needy or………..distant…

FreedomFreedom from guilt…

Freedom…Freedom…

I want to make enough moneyI want my mother to stop telling me I am fat

I want to learn how to speak truthI want my kid to sleep through the night

I want someone else to want meI want to own my own home someday

I want time to writeTo wash dishes

I want a perfect job A perfect homeTo be perfect

I want to stop wanting to be perfectI want to one day feel like an adult

I want to be wise old crone