ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we explore the possibilities for feminist action within agencies working in the field of health promotion. Health promotion work around women's health faces considerable challenges in the 1990s following the publication of Government targets for disease prevention (The Health of the Nation White Paper, 1992) and recent reforms and structural changes within the National Health Service (NHS) (Troop and Killoran, 1990; Ham, 1991). We demonstrate how conventional medical practice and Government bodies have consistently ignored the debates and research around women's health needs which grew out of the Women's Liberation Movement, and consider, in particular, how The Health of the Nation has impacted on activities and strategies for women's health. We argue that, at a time when the health of women as a group is considered to be low priority, 1 the commitment of strong and wide-ranging feminist-based activities and campaigns in the community keep alive the politics in health promotion for women.
