Gender in Health: Designing for Dignity

Beyond Checkboxes

Gender isn’t a paragraph in a proposal; it’s a design choice that shows up in clinic hours, privacy, signage, complaint mechanisms, and staff training.

What I Learned at OCMC

Care must be trauma-informed: privacy, informed consent, non-judgmental counseling, and safe referrals. Small details communicate respect.

Practical Embeds

• Facility: Separate, private counseling spaces; clear, multilingual posters.
• Data: Disaggregate by sex, age, disability; protect confidentiality.
• Staffing: Gender-balanced teams; refresher trainings on bias.
• Referrals: Warm handovers, not pamphlets.

Closing

Equity is built in the mundane: doorways, forms, and tone. Designing for dignity is the most powerful intervention we have.