Constraints on women's intersectoral health partnerships: lessons from Canada

Issues that constrain women's organizations from developing partnerships that promote women's health through health policy development and implementation are discussed in terms of lessons drawn from 3 studies. Key issues are the values underlying notions of partnership and participation, communication across sectors, different worldviews, and the resource limitations of feminist organizations. By attending to constraints and learning from successes and failures, women's organizations will be able to promote women's health through intersectoral partnering. The health sector and health professionals need to respond to the constraints in order to benefit from the expertise that resides within women's organizations.