[Female sexuality as perceived by rural women]. / Sexualidade feminina na percepcao da mulher do campo.

PIP: The themes of sex, gender, and women's health have been analyzed by various sciences. Medical and public health literature report on clinical aspects and epidemiology of risks affecting women, especially those of the reproductive process. The sexual division of labor means that the natural function of the woman is not considered economically productive in contrast to men. Women tend to be concentrated in lower grades of the remuneration scale, prestige, and autonomy, a phenomenon called the feminization of poverty. The construction of genders in the perspective of health means that being a man or a woman produces sexual differences in attitude and activities, which bring about specific risks for health and differentiation in the levels of access to health resources. On the macro level institutionalized sex differences manifest themselves in the high prevalence of malnutrition among girls in Latin America, the 2-3 times higher rate of depression among women, the high incidence of mortality among women from cancer, and the abuse of medical technology such as cesareans and hysterectomies. The Program of Integrated Assistance in Women's Health was conceived for the prevention and diagnosis of cervical uterine cancer, breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and access to and choice of contraceptive methods.^ieng