Men and women have clear differences in their health factors and health needs. Before the 1990’s there was no real research on women’s health because it was just assumed that the female body worked the same as the male body. Another reason women were excluded from medical research was because it would make the studies too expensive and companies didn’t want to deal with the potential effects from women’s fluctuating hormone levels and pregnancy risks. There are several historical examples that have shown how wrong this was, one of the most infamous was the thalidomide incident. Thalidomide was a drug sold in the 1950’s and 1960’s that was used to treat a number of things, including morning sickness in pregnant women. Because of the improper research done there were children born all over the world with terrible birth defects.

This case helped bring up the question “does sex matter?” The simple answer is yes. Diseases and other common healthy defects show differently in men vs women. For example cardiovascular diseases presented themselves differently in women and cause women to have more strokes, and more consequences due to atrial fibrillation. This isn’t the only health difference between men and women, more women are affected by; iron deficiencies, kidney disease, autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s as well as several mental disorders.

Not only are there biological differences between men and women, there are also social and cultural aspects that go along with why there is a gender health gap. The health gap shows how women in society are not given equal care. When looking at cost of healthcare not including pregnancy and postpartum care women spend 24% more than men. Part of the problem is men don’t want to go to the doctor, many believe that because of their fragile masculinity men refuse to get help when needed. Pair this with poor life choices like binge drinking, drugs and smoking, which men are more likely to take part in than women, makes for a shorter life expectancy in men. The combination of women living longer and spending more on healthcare in general leads to an even larger gap between the treatment of men and women.

Around the world there is a significant difference in how men and women are treated in society. Women are often denied access to equal work, pay, education and health care opportunities. The world economic forum ranks every country based on economic participation, opportunity, education attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. In 2018 the three countries that had the smallest gender gaps were Iceland, Norway and Sweden. While the three countries that had the largest gender gaps were Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen.

Iceland has ranked number 1 on this index for 9 years in a row. This is because the number of women being elected to public office has steadily been increasing. This means that men and women are having a more equal representation in policy making which has helped end any gender discrimination. In 2016, there was almost an equal number of men and women in the Icelandic parliament. Even with improving representation Iceland still reports that there is still discrimination within the labor force. Through federal policies Iceland is working towards getting rid of this discrimination.

Yemen on the other hand is at bottom of the rankings for their harsh treatment of women. Women in each of the bottom three countries are not allowed to pursue careers or jobs. They are expected to be child bearers and mothers, outside of the family they aren’t given much representation or respect. Girls are married off at a very young age to older men in order to have children as soon as they are able to. This leads to many young girls to fall victim to violence and rape. This oppression has given Yemen and the other countries at the bottom of this index their poor rankings.

The United States ranked 51^ston this index, and has been slowly moving down since 2016. Part of the reason the US ranks so poorly is because of the unequal representation of women in political office, which makes it hard for policies that would benefit women to pass. One factor that also has caused the US ranking to go down has been the increase in pregnancy related deaths in the US. This is an issue that should not be getting worse as our technology and knowledge improves but should be getting better. The US should pass policies that make it easier for pregnant women to get the care they need.

The global gender gap varies greatly from country to country but it is clearly an issue everywhere even in the top ranking countries. At the bottom of the index the countries treat women as second class citizens that basically have no rights in society and are endlessly abused. While at the top women are considered equal to men but aren’t always treated that way. Women in these countries are still constantly fighting for equal rights and representation.

Sex and Gender are very controversial topics in todays society. Sex is the biological assignment at birth either male or female. Gender on the other hand is how one wants to identify themselves in society. The spectrums of sex and gender are very different. At birth sex is determined by the reproductive organs, although in rare cases people have been known to be born with a combination of male and female reproductive organs. This is known as a hermaphrodite. While gender is how a person feels in society not based on their biological sex. One’s gender is determined by a combination of factors including psychological, social, and behavior. The psychological aspect of gender is how the person feels inside, when someone identifies as a gender different from their sex it is known as gender dysphoria. The social aspect to gender is how society assumes gender roles. And lastly the behavioral factor of gender is how a person behaves in through their appearance and actions.

Traditionally in the United States there were only two genders, male and female, and there were social expectations expected of them. Men were expected to be the main economic provider for the household, while women were supposed to stay home and take care of the domestic chores around the house and raise the children. Until World War II most women didn’t pursue careers or work outside of the house, but when there was a shortage of workers due to the draft of WWII women needed to take up jobs that were traditionally only for men. Ever since WWII women have been in the working force at an increasing rate but the old stereotypes of gender roles in society are still affecting the way men and women are treated in society. Many people still believe that women should give up pursuing higher education or careers in order to have families, but women don’t want to do that anymore. In todays society women are waiting longer to have families in order to have careers, and in many households the roles have switched completely and women have become the economic providers while men stay at home to raise the children and take care of domestic duties.

People that have gender dysphoria and don’t fall under the traditional beliefs of the two genders are not always accepted in modern societies. These people fall under this category are considered third gender. Third gender is just another way of saying that someone identifies as a gender that is different from male or female. In India for example men that become women are called Hijra. They must go through an illegal surgery to remove their male body parts and sacrifice them to the gods. Hijra are often kicked out of their households and not treated fairly in society, facing terrible discrimination. Julie McCarthy reported on a Hijra named Abhina Aher she had faced terrible discrimination and hasn’t spoken to her own mother in years. She is unlike most Hijra in that she works a full-time job working for the Indian HIV-AIDS Alliance expanding AIDS awareness. (McCarthy)

In Thailand the transgender community is widely accepted. The Kathoeys or ‘ladyboys’ are men that have become women. There are many different stages of ladyboys, some have had full reconstructive surgeries to become a woman while others haven’t had any work done at all. In society these people are not discriminated agains at all and are actually like tourist attractions. People travel from all over to see how impressive they are. Many ladyboys go on to marry men, and this is not viewed as wrong in their society. The culture in Thailand is very accepting and loving, and they don’t think differently of them at all.

Cultural and social norms of gender are different all around the world. Each country has a different set of beliefs  about how men and women should operate in society. In many middle east countries women are still forced to stay home and take care of the house and children, while more western countries with equal rights for men and women allow women to have careers in whatever field they chose. Another changing aspect of society is the number of third gender people in the world. In many countries they are not accepted and treated very poorly while other countries don’t see them as any different and are very welcoming in their society. The world as a whole has a long way to go until everyone is treated equally and fairly but every day we get closer and closer to that goal.

McCarthy, Julie. “A Journey Of Pain And Beauty: On Becoming Transgender In India.” NPR, NPR, 18 Apr. 2014, www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/04/18/304548675/a-journey-of-pain-and-beauty-on-becoming-transgender-in-india.