The issue of women’s health care has roots in the historical and cultural definitions of gender and sexuality. Historically, the social construction of women emphasized women’s sexuality, reproduction, and child care, and these were seen as their defining characteristics. The Social Darwinists of the late nineteenth century further claimed that non-whites were inferior to whites and women were inferior relative to men. Nevertheless, by the late twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, public policy began to recognize the need to research and address health issues that are specific to women or significantly affect women such as heart disease, women's reproductive health, and chronic illnesses that disproportionately affect older women.