Question

Social Distribution of Health and Illness: Sex and Gender

What is the gender and health paradox? Explain in your own words and provide examples.

ARTICLE : https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/60/Special_Issue_2/S40/2965171

Utilizing Rieker & Bird’s (2005) article, why do you think this gendered health paradox exists? Do you agree with the authors?

Please watch Alyson McGregor’s Ted Talk and answer the following questions: https://www.ted.com/talks/alyson_mcgregor_why_medicine_often_has_dangerous_side_effects_for_women/transcript

What is your reaction to her talk? What stood out to you?

Why does medicine often have dangerous side effects for women?

Sex is defined as the biological differences between people that we classify as “male” and “female”. This includes reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. Gender is socially constructed and defined as the social meanings that are attributed to sex differences. It is widely agreed on in research that gender is socially constructed. Some perspectives also argue that sex is socially constructed, as not everyone fits neatly into “male” and “female” categories such as intersex people. After knowing these definitions, answer the following:

Do you believe we should be categorizing people in healthcare by gender? By sex?

What are the benefits and potential (intended or unintended) consequences of categorizing people (such as patients) by gender in health?

Choose one physical or mental health condition and research the gender differences and inequalities for this condition.

Which health condition did you choose to look up?

Who does this affect? How does this vary by gender?

Do transgender people have different rates and/or experiences with this health condition compared to cisgender people (i.e. people whose sex assigned at birth aligns with their gender identity)?

In your research, what does the literature (organization, people, activists, etc.) say to explain these gender differences?

Answer 1

Gender and health paradox

Now also there is a conflicts is going on regarding the morbidity,mortality and life-expectency among the people

Is there any difference in these among the males and female

Whether the females having high morbidity rate while comparing with the males

Whether the males having high mortality rate while comparing with the females

Whether the life expectancy of female is higher than the men

Whether the males are healthier than females

This discrepancy between the morbidity and mortality rate among the different genders ie,men and woman is called as the gender and health paradox

Article:

Surely,still there is existence of gendered health paradox exist.

I am agreeing with the authors in the study

if we are looking the incidence of diseases morbidity and mortality in every reasearch the mortality rate is higher among the males than females,and regarding the morbidity rate it is higher among the females.

If we are looking for the life expectancy rate the females are having high life expectency,they may some times suffering with some non-fatal disease condition,or disability

Alyson Mc,Gregor's Ted talk

I am surely agreed with her talk.Why because some medicines have some serious side effects to women only and there is only possible effects to male.

What she is saying that most of the experiments inrelate to medicine has been done only in male animals,it should be first introducing to the male(in humans)

What she is saying that Sex is not only determined by by the sex chromosome.XY for male and XX for female.This sex determining hormones is present in each and every organs in our body till our death.More than this there is difference in the properties and metabolism of these genders are different.

Dangerous side effects of medicine will be seen high in females the main reason behind is that the clinical trial for a new medicine is mostly done on the males and the same medicine is prescribed to females without any research or any clinical trials.

Surely we have to categorize the people by their gender and sex in health care.

Sex is determined by our DNA and gender is our presentation themselves to our society or community.Why we have to consider sex in health care.why because our gene or DNA is made up of chromosomes.So it is entirely different in both of the gender.Because of these difference in DNA the functional properties,metabolic activities and anatomy is entirely different in both gender.Thus we have to categorize the sex and gender of the people in health care

The main benefits of categorizing the people by gender in health:

*We can differentiate the diseases by sex

*We can determine the mortality rate among the different gender

*We can give medicine by considering the sex

The potential consequences is while categorizing the people what about the transgenders?its a question still going on

Depression is more among the females while comparing with the males

Depression,sometimes it may affects the physical health,why because the females are more sensitive to physical and social stress.

Mostly the cisgender people may affect the depression while comparing with the transgender.

Cisgenders having higher depression rate than transgenders

The transgender people face so many difficulties and stress through out their life they cope up with each situation.They will not go for a depressive stage as easily as cisgenders.

Literature having an so much impact while considering the gender difference and health.We will search for different research conducted by the researchers in the field of Sex and Gender