How are men and women similar?
Breast, prostate cancer on par in terms of Incidence, mortality rates
Cancer and heart disease similar threats
Exceptions: Accidents / violence (men) vs. strokes (women)
How are women different from men?
Women:
Higher immunity, more autoimmune disorders
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
Higher victimization to partner violence
Higher sexual and reproductive risk
Sub-Saharan Africa, other places
Women have less control over sex, fertility, consent
Organization around gender roles
More buffering against health risk
More and/or higher-quality engagement with social networks
Higher incidence of and more severe eating disorders
Anorexia nervosa may be more common among wealthy white families
Some eating disorders equally distributed across classes
What is sex?
Biological characteristics typical of males and females
What is gender?
A range of physical and behavioural characteristics associated with social roles that signify masculine and feminine
How are sex and gender different?
Sex: Biological characteristics
Gender: Physical & behavioural characteristics
What is buffering?
Reduces the effect that would occur if the variable was absent. One of the theories that could apply to Roseto
Describe the connection between buffering and health
Buffering reduces the effect that would occur if the variable was absent.
Example: Women less susceptible to SE impacts on health due to their gender roles within families and communities.
What are gender role conflicts?
Occur when one doesn’t conform with their gender roles. E.g. women working.
Describe connection between gender role conflicts and health
Employed women are healthier and less distressed
Stress in the workplace is no higher, either
Increase in mental health issues among younger women is unexplained
What conclusions have been drawn regarding relationships and health?
- Women and men marry later on in life than their parents
- More people live alone
- Household sizes are shrinking
What are the impacts of long term relationships on health?
- More resources available to both partners and emotional support
- Women have access to more income, better housing
- Men benefit from women’s domestic work
- These benefits might be changing: women work now too so less domestic work being done
What is the morbidity paradox?
Women appear less healthy than men but live longer
Give an example of the morbidity paradox in action
Degenerative disease more often fatal for men
Why does the morbidity paradox exist?
measurement problem?
Women more attuned to their health
More pessimistic with self-rated health?
How are men different from women?
Higher birth rate
Higher mortality rate
Higher rates of violence
Perpetration of
Victimization to
Suicide
Risk-taking
Lower immunity
Higher rates of some diseases
Parkinson’s
Behavior-related disease
