Why do women suffer from more mental health disorders than men?

Being a woman is considered a risk factor for mental health. If we want understand why, we need stop and remember that we live in a patriarchal, androcentric society that results in unfavorable social inequalities for women.

Women are in a position of inferiority in the family, in the com- munity and in society in general: they have less access to resources and less control over them, with less weight in decision-making process. Patriarchal society has put limits on the development of women because patriarchal societies consider women inferior, with more discomfort or more weakness than men.

This social inequality puts women at a risk of suffering more mental health problems than men. Therefore, incorporating the gen- der perspective in public health, we address the influence of social, cultural - which are modifiable - and biological factors on health outcomes in order to improve the efficiency, coverage and equity of mental health programs.