Abstract

Background: Gender must be considered in the design and implementation of health policies to safeguard equity and accomplish sanitary objectives. Aim: To identify gender perspective in the curricula of five health care careers in the Universidad Austral de Chile. To identify the situation of women in the teaching profile of such curricula. Material and methods: An exploratory and descriptive study with a critical reading of the structure of the programs of 217 courses. Revision of official academic registries. Results: Gender is usually not included in the curricula of health care careers. The generic language conceals female academics and students. There was a scarce inclusion of cross sectional issues such as collaborative work, interpersonal and democratic relationship, equity and critical analysis. There were no differences in academic achievements between female and male students. The contractual profile of female academics reproduces the gender inequity of the work market. Conclusions: The inclusion of gender is a pending task in the training of health care professionals.