Health and Security of Female Workers in Quebec. A Field of Research Intervention

In Quebec, reproductive health, the development of new reproductive technologies, breast cancer, & other issues are at the center of debates on women's health, & have repercussions for research priorities. In this light, work conditions that affect women's physical & mental health are addressed. The context of public health practice is outlined in terms of the sociology of knowledge, showing how legislative & administrative organs tend to ignore health problems specific to women. Examples are shown of how health care research can be made to serve the interests of dominant groups, eg, employers contributing to the social security system or economically powerful unions usually dominated by men. It is shown how many of the interests of health care research coincide with those of the theory & practice of biology, ergonomics, sociology, & labor law. The relative merits of multidisciplinary & interventional research are reviewed. M. Meeks