Gender, Ethnicity, and Health

define ethnicity

a shared history with cultural tradition that contributes to a sense of belonging and group identity

define race

socio-political construct that divides people into groups based on perceived physical differences

define culture

values, attitudes, preferences, and behaviours that are shared by a group and determined by upbringing and social environment

define acculturation

process of taking on the cultures of the host country in which you arrive

assimilation

process where a person becomes fully integrated into a new country where their language/culture resemble that of host country

integration

process where person takes on cultural norms of new country but also maintain original culture

separation

person maintains original culture and rejects that of the country to which they have migrated

marginalisation

person rejects original culture and new culture of the country to which they have migrated

how can the ethnic variation in overall mortality be explained?

healthy migrant effect - those that migrate have healthier lifestyles

trends in maternal mortality across ethnicity

risk is 4x higher amongst black ethnic background, asian women at higher risk too

define sexuality

person’s physical, romantic, emotional or other form of attraction to others

define gender

socially constructed behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for males/females

define sex

classification based on physical anatomy at birth

gender variation in mortality

women live longer than men

gender variation in morbidity

disability-free life expectancy is higher for males than females