Health and Illness Notes

Lesson Objectives

• Inequality and Diseases:

• Understand how inequality affects diseases prevalent among women.

• Explore how men's dominance in society influences their health issues.

• Nondominant vs. Dominant Group Health:

• Analyze and compare health disparities between nondominant and dominant social groups.

• Social Context of Health:

• Discuss how health and illness are influenced by social contexts at different levels—community, national, and global.

• Gender Differences in Life Expectancy:

• Describe variations in life expectancy between genders and delve into underlying factors.

• Gendered Labor Division:

• Examine how the division of labor based on gender creates varying health risks and benefits for women in the U.S. and globally.

• Masculinity Traits as Health Risks:

• Investigate how traits traditionally associated with masculinity contribute to health risks.

• Healthcare Inequality:

• Identify issues related to stratification and inequality in healthcare systems.

• Gendered Care Dynamics:

• Discuss how care practices and experiences differ across genders throughout various life stages.

Gender and Life Expectancy

• Current Trends:

• Women generally have a longer life expectancy than men, a change from historical trends.

• Improvements in reproductive health have played a significant role in prolonging women's lives.

• Emerging Issues:

• Rising occurrences of traditionally male diseases among women indicate potential reversals in health trends.

• Intersectionality in Health:

• Life expectancy is further affected by race, ethnicity, and social class, leading to disparities between different social groups.

• Men's Mortality Factors:

• Higher mortality rates in men may be linked to workplace hazards and societal expectations regarding emotional expression.

• Impact of Women's Unpaid Work:

• Women's non-compensated labor roles may have negative health ramifications as well.

Health Risks in the West and Global South

• Employed vs. Non-Employed Women:

• Employment positively correlates with mental health for women, but the dual burden of paid and unpaid work could lead to increased stress and health problems.

• Stressful Work Environments:

• Workers in low-income nations often endure hazardous work conditions with limited access to healthcare.

• Neoliberal Impacts on Health:

• The global free-trade system has detrimental effects on local economies, increasing migration and job insecurity that compound health risks.

• Women's Experience in Global Workplaces:

• Women are frequently employed in sweatshops, worsening health outcomes due to exploitative working conditions.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Control Over Sexual Health:

• Women often have less autonomy over their sexual health compared to men, exacerbating health issues.

• Access to Care:

• Millions lack access to affordable health care, which is crucial for preventing maternal mortality rates.

• Chronic Health Issues:

• Poor women face chronic ailments linked to poverty, malnutrition, and lack of clean water, particularly in underprivileged areas.

• Men's Risk-Taking Behavior:

• Masculine norms often lead to risk-prone behaviors (e.g., substance abuse), contributing to health issues.

• Extreme Masculinity and Heart Disease:

• Conceptual links between aggressive behaviors and health risks like heart disease are explored, highlighting social class and race-ethnicity implications.

Stratification and Inequality in Healthcare

• Healthcare System Inequality:

• U.S. healthcare is stratified by gender, race, and social class, affecting access to care and treatment outcomes.

• Racial Minorities in Healthcare:

• Though there has been an increase in women and racial minorities among healthcare professionals, systemic inequities persist.

• Crisis in Healthcare Access:

• The U.S. healthcare system faces challenges, including high costs and limited access, leading to adverse health outcomes.

• Rise of Unpaid Care Work:

• Shifts towards unpaid health care, especially among women, burden them with additional labor responsibilities.

Women's Movement in Health

• Historical Activism:

• The Women's Health Movement began in the 1960s, aiming to address gendered inequities in healthcare.

• Notable Milestones:

• Publications like Our Bodies, Ourselves and studies challenging contraceptive safety sparked the movement.

• Legal Landscape of Abortion:

• Understanding of abortion's legal history, including the Roe v. Wade case, and its implications on women’s health autonomy.

• Current Challenges:

• Ongoing legislative efforts to impose restrictions on abortion access and their impact on women's health and rights.

• Fighting Forced Sterilization:

• Addressing historical and current issues surrounding forced sterilization, especially among marginalized communities, emphasizing the need for reproductive autonomy.

• Structural Violence:

• Highlighting how lack of economic equality and power leads to health risks, particularly regarding HIV/AIDS, and the need for holistic rights-focused solutions.

• Global Coalitions for Women’s Rights:

• Women’s organizations form coalitions advocating for reproductive rights through the lens of human rights, linking various social justice issues together.