Daniel Plaat 5/20/08

Wait and See: Sex and Health

We have problems, some of us more so than others Some of us have ver!
stressful lives, "omen espe#iall!$ seem to have these problems more Ho" #an "e fi%ure
out "h!& So#ial problem theorists stud! the differen#es in peoples' health b! as(in%
)uestions pertainin% to "h! the different sexes have different health problems, and "hat
lin(s are there bet"een stress and the disparities them *here are man! "a!s that the
differen#es of overall health %o be!ond biolo%i#al variations amon% individual people
+lso, do su#h variations exist& ,an! so#ial problems pla%ue our nation and none more so
than health#are and ho" "e assess it -earnin% more about these issues #an %ive us a ne"
perspe#tive and not onl! help us ma(e sense of "hat's %oin% on "ith our so#iet!, but ho"
to address these problems in the best "a!
*he health of "omen is %enerall! affe#ted b! the so#ietal roles %iven to them
*here is interpla! of "or(, home and the stressors that #ome "ith not onl! enterin% the
"or(for#e but enterin% the arena of professional exe#utive positions *he main enfor#er
of %ender roles is so#iali.ation, a #on#ept that proves to be )uite stron% in shapin% the
"a! man! behave +n example of this is "hen bod! so#iali.ation o##urs /n #hildhood,
%irls pla! in small %roups in an intimate settin% "hile bo!s pla! %ames and sports "ith
lar%e %roups "here there are #lear "inners and losers /t's a #ase of inte%ration vs
intima#!, "hi#h puts "omen at a #ompetitive disadvanta%e in the modern "or( pla#e
"here a%%ressive #ompetition #onsidered normal
*his is an example of ho" so#iali.ation as a for#e effe#ts the health of "omen b!
#reatin% stressors "hi#h affe#t "or(in% "omen deepl! Some stressors #an be seen in
both %enders li(e 0ob inse#urit!, and time pressures$ but there are different t!pe that
"omen are affe#ted b! + #ommon one is role overload, in "hi#h "omen have multiple
#onfli#tin% expe#tations from others *he! have more a#tivities that are less flexible than
men "ho have more lee"a! in ho" the! "or($ this is sho"n in ho" that "omen avera%e
over 10 more hours of "or( at "or( and home than men *his "as an avera%e in a stud!
done over 20 !ears
+nother stressor is the to(enism of the #orporate lands#ape that "omen fa#e
3aused b! "hat's #alled the %lass #eilin%, a line in "hi#h a #ertain %roup is seen to not be
able to %o hi%her in a hierar#h!$ "omen are (no"n to be held out of hi%her positions and
advan#in% their #areer +spe#ts of the %lass #eilin% in#lude the 4maternal "all$5 referrin%
to "hen "omen are dropped "hen the! have #hildren, and the mar%inali.ation of part6
time "or( "hi#h ma(e emplo!ers timid in promotin% "omen *he material "all also
in#ludes the realities of the female %ender role and the #onditions of a hi%h ran(in% in a
#ompan!, li(e lon% "or( hours and expe#tations of relo#ation "hi#h #ould be more easil!
dealt "ith b! men *o(enism also leads to the stressors li(e sexual harassment
+lon% "ith "hat "omen deal "ith there are also male stressors #aused b! the
%ender roles of the "or(for#e *his is seen in different (inds of strain$ a lon% term failure
to meet the male expe#tation, dis#repan#! strain, not livin% up to ones internal
expe#tation$ d!sfun#tional strain, "here after a#hievin% the assi%ned %ender role,
ne%ative side effe#ts are seen, li(e famil! abuse or h!per a%%ressiveness 7inall! there's
trauma strain, "here the male experien#e ma(es a man unable to express emotions #learl!
or at all *hese strains #an be even more ha.ardous to the health of men due to the overall
s!mptoms exhibited b! men
+ lar%e bod! of resear#h has been done on the s!mptoms people have and it's
sho"n that "omen ma(e more health#are visits and have more ps!#ho ph!siolo%i#al
problems 8insomnia, heada#hes, di..iness, et#9 Ho"ever, this data does not have a
#omplete so#iolo%i#al explanation Women ma! 0ust be more open in sharin% s!mptoms,
or there a#tuall! mi%ht be a differen#e bet"een the %enders in a#tual s!mptom rates
+lthou%h "omen #ould have more s!mptoms, it is possible that male distress is more
lethal in nature, leadin% to the heart problems that men later fa#e
*he sexes are even more different in ho" the! deal "ith stress and their overall
health *hese differen#es are partiall! informed b! %ender roles no" as )uestions
re%ardin% their biolo%! are unans"ered *he "a! that people ta#(le problems is similar to
the "a! the! are so#iali.ed$ as men use the 4fi%ht or fli%ht5 approa#h "hile "omen use a
ta#ti# most li(e the imamate role of 4tend and befriend5 /n the past the sexes relive stress
alon% distin#t lines$ men drin( "hen "omen smo(e ,en turn to humor and fantas!
"hile "omen seem to be emotion based and rel! on the so#ial support of friends and
famil!, men #on#entrate on fitness and "omen on diet
*hese traits are ver! %eneral but there is an assumed lin( bet"een the observed
differen#es in sex depends on the roles imposed throu%h so#iali.ation /ndividual
#hara#teristi#s #ould also a##ount for the true differen#es bet"een the sexes *here are a
m!riad of variables that #an explain health more broadl!$ pessimis!i# attitudes has sho"n
to have sli%htl! ne%ative effe#ts Wor(aholism$ "hi#h #onsists of "or( involvement and
"or( en0o!ment differ bet"een the sexes but not %reatl! 7amil! pla!s an external role as
"ell$ #rossover stress, as one souse affe#ts the other, or as the stress of a mother has a
#onse)uen#e on the #hildren 3ulture #an also affe#t stress and health, so #an lifest!le
and other #hoi#es re%ardless of the role %iven
+ %reat amount of resear#h has %one into these topi#s over the past 20 !ears,
tr!in% to understand the #onne#tions bet"een "omen, "or(, stress, and their health
*his "or( seems to have onl! #reated ne" )uestions +re sexual differen#es reall!
biolo%i#al& Some neurolo%i#al studies have %iven results but a #on#lusion is still
indeterminable as bias #ould be effe#tin% "hat is found /s there demo%raphi# data not
bein% studied that should be& ,ost resear#h is based on "hite #ollar "or( and stress :ut
there are more "a!s of %roupin% people, "hat of blue #ollar "or(, "here "omen are all
but (ept out thou%h so#ietal means *he resear#h referen#es here is normal in that onl! ill
effe#ts are dis#ussed ;roupin% of men and "omen #ould be an oversi%ht in itself
We need to as( if it possible for a more positive outloo( on health /t appears that
health is seen as the absen#e of disease, but if that "ere the #ase "h! are there so man!
fa#tors that involve bein% health! We should stud! %enders as the! relate to %ood health,
not bad, the eustress, not the s!mptoms, perhaps the positive effe#ts of optimism
*he overall #on#lusion in this realm of thou%h is that our (no"led%e as been
expanded terrifi#all!, this is an advan#ement in our understandin% of so#iet!, health, and
the "a! "e see problems li(e stress and sexual relations :ut, the bod! of "or( onl!
brin%s more )uestions to be ans"ered So, the "or( of a so#ialolo%ist is never done and
"ill #ontinue for as lon% as )uestions remain
Sour#es
6<elson - Debra and :ur(e, =onald$ ;ender, "or(, stress and health
+meri#an Ps!#holo%i#al +sso#iation, >50 7irst St Washin%ton D3 2002
7uni%iello, Philip, 3hroni# Politi#s, Health #are se#urit! from 7D= to
;eor%e W :ush, *he ?niversit! of Press of @ansas 2005