Rethinking gender differences in health: why we need to integrate social and biological perspectives
- PMID: 16251589
- DOI: 10.1093/geronb/60.special_issue_2.s40
Rethinking gender differences in health: why we need to integrate social and biological perspectives
Abstract
The complexity of gender differences in health (i.e., men's lower life expectancy and women's greater morbidity) extends beyond notions of either social or biological disadvantage. Gaps remain in understanding the antecedents of such differences and the issues this paradox raises regarding the connections between social and biological processes. Our goals in this analytic essay are to make the case that gender differences in health matter and that understanding these differences requires an explanation of why rational people are not effective in making health a priority in their everyday lives. We describe some salient gender health differences in cardiovascular disease, immune function and disorders, and depression and indicate why neither social nor biological perspectives alone are sufficient to account for them. We consider the limitations of current models of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic health disparities to explain the puzzling gender differences in health. Finally, we discuss constrained choice, a key issue that is missing in the current understanding of these gender differences, and call on the social science community to work with biomedical researchers on the interdisciplinary work required to address the paradoxical differences in men's and women's health.
Similar articles
-
Gender matters: an integrated model for understanding men's and women's health.Soc Sci Med. 1999 Mar;48(6):745-55. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00402-x. Soc Sci Med. 1999. PMID: 10190637 Review.
-
Gender differences in cardiovascular disease and comorbid depression.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2007;9(1):71-83. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2007.9.1/ammoeller. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2007. PMID: 17506227 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Understanding men's health and illness: a gender-relations approach to policy, research, and practice.J Am Coll Health. 2000 May;48(6):247-56. doi: 10.1080/07448480009596266. J Am Coll Health. 2000. PMID: 10863868 Review.
-
Gender/Sex as a Social Determinant of Cardiovascular Risk.Circulation. 2018 Feb 20;137(8):854-864. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.028595. Circulation. 2018. PMID: 29459471 Review.
-
Women's higher risk with N-6 PUFA vs. men's relative advantage: an "N-6 gender nutrition paradox" hypothesis.Isr Med Assoc J. 2012 Jul;14(7):435-41. Isr Med Assoc J. 2012. PMID: 22953621
Cited by
-
Job Stress and Mental Well-Being among Working Men and Women in Europe: The Mediating Role of Social Support.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 3;18(5):2494. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052494. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021. PMID: 33802439 Free PMC article.
-
Demographics, referral patterns and management of patients accessing the Welsh Eye Care Service.Eye Vis (Lond). 2016 May 18;3:14. doi: 10.1186/s40662-016-0045-7. eCollection 2016. Eye Vis (Lond). 2016. PMID: 27195305 Free PMC article.
-
Incorporating and evaluating an integrated gender-specific medicine curriculum: a survey study in Dutch GP training.BMC Med Educ. 2009 Sep 8;9:58. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-9-58. BMC Med Educ. 2009. PMID: 19737396 Free PMC article.
-
Long-term effects of wealth on mortality and self-rated health status.Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Jan 15;173(2):192-200. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwq348. Epub 2010 Nov 8. Am J Epidemiol. 2011. PMID: 21059808 Free PMC article.
-
Childhood physical abuse and midlife physical health: testing a multi-pathway life course model.Soc Sci Med. 2009 Jul;69(1):138-46. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.04.011. Epub 2009 May 14. Soc Sci Med. 2009. PMID: 19446943 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous
