American men die, on average, 5.4 years earlier than their female counterparts.

US men suffer higher death rates than women from all causes of death:

Belief: belief |bi ˈ lēf|noun an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction Behavior: the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, esp. toward others

Health-related beliefs and behaviors, like other social practices that women and men engage in, are a Means for demonstrating femininities and masculinities.

Masculinity ideology is defined as the endorsement and internalization of cultural belief systems about masculinity and the male gender… (Pleck, Sonenstein, & Ku, 1993, p. 88).

Key terms to understand: Endorsement Internalization Cultural belief systems

Seven Key Dimensions: 1.the requirement to avoid all things feminine; 2.the injunction to restrict one’s emotional life; 3.the emphasis on toughness and aggression; 4.the injunction to be self-reliant; 5.the emphasis on achieving status above all else; 6.non-relational, objectifying attitudes toward sexuality; 7.and fear and hatred of homosexuals.

Masculinity ideology is thought to arise through a process of gender role socialization whereby young boys (as well as girls) internalize cultural norms and expectations about male- appropriate behavior from families, peer groups, and society

Key terms and concepts: Gender role socialization Cultural norms and expectations

These internalized gender role norms serve as a means by which men organize and process information about themselves and the external world (Spence, 1993).

A perspective on gender, which holds that there is no one “true masculinity” but rather there are many masculinities that vary according to the social context (Levant, Richmond, Majors, Inclan, Rossello, & Heesacker, 2003)

Gender is not two static categories, but rather ``a set of socially constructed relationships which are produced and reproduced through people's actions'’ ie., not male or female rather “ maleness ” and “ femaleness ” Gender is ``something that one does, and does recurrently, in interaction with others''

it is achieved or demonstrated and is better understood as a verb than as a noun Most importantly, gender does not reside in the person, but rather in social transactions defined as gendered

Men and boys are active agents in constructing and reconstructing dominant norms of masculinity. This concept of agency -- the part individuals play in exerting power and producing effects in their lives -- is central to constructionism (Courtenay, 1999a)