The weaker sex? Exploring lay understandings of gender differences in life expectancy: A qualitative study

Emslie, Carol; Hunt, Kate

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.05.009

Cited by 48 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…"lthough these biological diferences are important in the morbidity and mortality paterns, they have been considered as independent of social environment factors [66]. "nd although biological factors, such as genetics and hormonal exposure, may contribute to diferences in the health of women and men, a wide range of social processes can also create, maintain, or exacerbate underlying biological health diferences [67].…”

Section: Factors Explaining Gender Diferences In Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender and Health

Matud¹

2017

Gender Differences in Different Contexts

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Research has found diferences between women and men in some health indicators. Women's life expectancy is higher than men's, but research on diferences in morbidity has proved less consistent than on the diferences in mortality. These diferences vary in terms of the type of health indicator used, the life cycle period analyzed, and even the country where research is conducted. Generally, men have more life-threatening chronic diseases at younger ages, including coronary heart disease, as well as more externalizing mental health problems and substance use disorders. Women present higher rates of chronic debilitating conditions such as arthritis, frequent or severe headaches, gallbladder conditions, and also more internalizing mental problems such as afective and anxiety disorders. Results of research on the diferences between women and men in self-rated health have also highlighted the complexity of gender diferences in health. "lthough several studies have shown that women have poorer self-rated health than men, this is not the case in all countries. "lso, diferences in self-rated health vary depending on other psychosocial and demographic variables. The present study reviews the main diferences in women's and men's health as well as the most relevant factors that may account for them.Keywords: gender, physical health, mental health, self-rated health, well-being, masculinity, femininity . IntroductionThe existence of gender diferences in health, and the reason for such diferences, is a complex issue whose research and explanations are not bias-free. Studies conducted in several countries have revealed diferences between women and men in some health indicators. In spite of the fact that women's life expectancy is higher than men's, it has been traditionally believed that women had poorer health, and higher morbidity and incapacity rates than men, and used © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.© 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.health services much more often than men. "s proposed by Lahelma et al. [1], such a belief was so much deep-seated that no further explanation was required. However, the research conducted from the 1990s onwards has questioned such a belief and has shown the complexity of gender diferences in health [2], whose presence, magnitude, and/or direction depend on, among other variables, the health indicator used, stage of life span development, and even the country where the study is conducted. "esides, women and men show a high intra-group variability, and there exist signiican...

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Section: Factors Explaining Gender Diferences In Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender and Health

Matud¹

2017

Gender Differences in Different Contexts

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“…This stereotype is accompanied by the traditional gender role ideology of women as primary care givers and the perception that women are gentle, emotionally expressive, reluctant to bother others with their problems, sensitive and sociable (Prentice & Carranza, 2002). Accordingly, women are typically viewed as possessing a desire to have and raise children, as nurturers who have domestic skills, take care of their own and others' health, and have a need for intimacy, connectedness, and self-disclosure (Barnett, 2006;Cole & Zucker, 2007;Emslie & Hunt, 2008;Kristofferzon, Löfmark, & Carlsson, 2003;Wood, Conway, Pushkar, & Dugas, 2005). Thus, in Western cultures, feminine 'ideals' (in the context of health help-seeking behavior) are typically seen as asking for help, caring about health, nurturing and monitoring partners' and children's health and well being, and pressuring male partners to see a physician if they are reluctant (Courtenay, 2000b;O'Brien, Hunt, & Hart, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Help seeking for cardiac symptoms: Beyond the masculine–feminine binary

Galdas

Johnson

Percy

et al. 2010

Social Science & Medicine

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Empirical and theoretical literature suggests that stereotypical gender roles shape men's and women's health help-seeking behavior, and plays an important role in the treatment seeking delays of cardiac patients. We were interested in exploring the ways in which gender informs the experiences and help-seeking behavior of men and women who experienced the symptoms associated with acute cardiac events. We undertook 20 in-depth interviews between October 2007 and July 2008 with 11 men and 9 women recently diagnosed with an acute coronary syndrome in British Columbia, Canada. Participants were encouraged to tell their 'story' of the event that led to hospitalization and diagnosis, with a focus on the symptoms and decision making processes that occurred before and during the activation of health services: seeking the advice of others including colleagues, family members and healthcare professionals; calling 911; and attending an emergency department. Although we anticipated that distinctive patterns of help-seeking behavior aligned with stereotypical masculine and feminine ideals might emerge from our data, this was not always the case. We found some evidence of the influence of gender role ideology on the help-seeking behavior of both male and female participants. However, men's and women's experiences of seeking health care were not easily parsed into distinct binary gender patterns. Behavior that might stereotypically be considered to be 'masculine' or 'feminine' gender practice was shared by both male and female participants. Our findings undermine simple binary distinctions about gendered help-seeking prevalent in the literature, and contribute towards setting the direction of the future health policy and research agenda addressing the issue of gender and health help-seeking behavior.

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“…'Lay epidemiology' (Allmark and Tod 2005) and 'professional sensitivity' based on practice 1 (Stolley and Chohan 2002) have produced 'lay' perspectives on men's health and men's health literacy (Peerson 1998, Robertson 2006, Emslie and Hunt 2008. In addition, database searches of PUBMED (2007PUBMED ( -2008 using the keywords: 'health literacy' generated 659 articles published in international and Australian journals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men's health literacy: advancing evidence and priorities

Peerson

Saunders

2009

Critical Public Health

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Men's health literacy and its bearing on health-related attitudes and behaviour are curiously absent from discussions on health literacy and men's health. This is perhaps understandable given the lack of a theoretical understanding and empirical evidence. In this article, we review and comment on the published literature addressing health literacy and men's health literacy. We define 'health literacy', note a silent discourse on gender in the international debate on health literacy and identify gaps addressing men's health literacy. We also raise issues for research priorities and the practical development and implementation of evidence-based policies and programs aimed at improving men's health.

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The weaker sex? Exploring lay understandings of gender differences in life expectancy: A qualitative study

Cited by 48 publications

References 36 publications

Gender and Health

Gender and Health

Help seeking for cardiac symptoms: Beyond the masculine–feminine binary

Men's health literacy: advancing evidence and priorities

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