Not Little Men

Contrary to the older beliefs that women are just “little men”, men and women have biological differences that stem far deeper than their genitalia, but our general makeup and hormones. These differences mean that men and women need different kinds of healthcare on several different matters. However, it is also the gender stereotypes and biases of todays society that keep men and women from getting the healthcare they need. This leads to health gaps and mortality rates that are not progressing in a way that they should be in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Regardless of how people try to argue it, men and women have biological differences proven by science that will always cause differences between the two. Although, men and women can and should be treated equally in many situations, when it comes to health care they should not. When men and women are treated the same medically, it leads to people not getting the care they need because there symptoms are overlooked as something different than what is actually wrong because they are being treated as the opposite gender. Historically it has been women who are overlooked. One of the more investigated differences is the ones that occurs in the cardiovascular system. Like in many diseases and disorders, women and men have different symptoms of a heart attack. Women tend to suffer more strokes and irregular rapid heartbeats that effect the flow of blood in the body. They are also more susceptible to thing like Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, kidney disease, and iron deficiency. It is more common for young boys to have asthma, but then switches to young women. Men however are found to have more cases of Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig disease, and autism. It is also not just sex that effects your increased risk for certain diseases, but also your race. For example black men have a higher chance of getting prostate cancer than white men.

It is not just biology that leads to differences between men and women medically. What they typically experience in society such as occupations, common experiences of that sex, and the way they are treated lead to health differences that would not exist without these external factors. For example women have a higher rate of being diagnosed with mental disorders in relation to depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress. This is brought on from the constant scrutiny that women face on a daily bases like the constant pressure of fitting the ideal body and beauty image. This leads to lower self esteem. Gender discrimination, inequality, and domestic/ sexual abuse contribute to these disorders as well. Although women have societal factors that lead to medical issues, so do men. Men tend to work more dangerous jobs than women. This leads to an increased risk of injury and paralysis which stems into the statistic of men having a higher mortality rate than women. Men also tend to smoke, drink, and abuse more drugs than women. Women on average live 5 years longer than men. It isn’t just health that is affected by societal constructs, but also how men and women use healthcare.

When it comes to healthcare, men and women have very different access, experiences, and attitudes towards it. When it comes to general healthcare women tend to use it more often then men. Women are typically the caretakers of the family and children. With this being the case women are usually the ones making doctors appointments for herself and the family. Women get more annual checkups and tests run. This leads to earlier diagnoses with a better chance of survival. Men however, get the short end of the stick with societal effects on healthcare. We live in a world where men are under the constant pressure to be “manly” and follow the ideology to brush off pain and injury for fear of being seen as weak. This societal norm has lead to men ignoring the warning signs of potentially deadly diseases such as heart disease and cancers. This “masculinity culture” also tells men that addressing metal issues is “girly” and “weak”, because of this men typically go undiagnosed for depression and other mental disorders which leads to a higher suicide rate in men than women.

No matter how hard we try we cannot change the biological differences of men and women. We cannot change the differences in health and disease that is caused because of this. We can however, change the societal norms that negatively effect men and women. By doing this not only will the gender mortality gap close, but health and healthcare for both men and women alike will improve.