Gender, age, and health Chapter 11

Sex: Biological identity Gender Gender: comprises the behavioral and psychological traits considered appropriate for men and women: VS. Sex: Biological identity

Gender Sex characteristics are SAME in ALL societies. Gender traits …are socially created and vary from culture to culture.

Gender Gender roles: The specific behaviors and attitudes that a society establishes for men and women. EX: Women: child-care and domestic duties Men: Economic support and physical safety for family.

Gender Gender identity: The awareness of being masculine or feminine as those traits are designed by culture. However, cultural values influence gender identity and roles…have changed over the years.

Gender Margaret Mead studied 3 New Guinea societies…discovered differences in culture. Tchambuli Society Mundugumor Society Arapesh Society

Gender Tchambuli Society: Men & women care for children. Women provided food for family. Women were bossy and efficient. Men were gossipy and artistic. Men wore cosmetics and curled hair

Gender Mundugumor Society Aggressiveness was the norm for men AND women

Gender Arapesh Society: Both men AND women were expected to be passive and emotionally warm

Gender So what does this mean? Gender roles are socially created rather than biologically based.

Gender Learn appropriate gender- role behavior through socialization. Begins at birth. HOW?

Gender What are little boys made of? What are little girls made of? Is this nursery rhyme true today? What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails, And puppy-dogs’ tails, That’s what little boys are made of. Is this nursery rhyme true today? What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice And all that is nice, That’s what little girls are made of.

Gender Expectations of little girls: Expectations of little boys: Polite, gentle, passive Excel in reading and social sciences Creative in arts Look for marriage and family. HOWEVER, more young women encouraged to pursue careers. Expectations of little boys: Adventuresome Aggressive Physically active Good at math and science Encouraged to prepare for career

Gender Men: Gender Roles and Social Inequality: Women: Adult years in pregnancy/nursing babies. Took on roles allowed them to stay close to home. Men: Required strength and travel away from home base. Hunters, traders, warriors Gained much prestige…source of power within group. Patriarchy: men are dominant over women.

Gender roles = reflection of male dominance. Conflict Perspective on Gender Roles: Gender roles = reflection of male dominance. Through their control of economic and political spheres of society, men have established laws and customs that project their dominant position. In so doing, men have blocked women's access to power.

Gender Can become a self-fulfilling prophecy: Sexism: The belief that one sex is by nature superior to the other. Can become a self-fulfilling prophecy: People who believe that women are in some way incapable of occupying positions of power make choices based on this belief. Result lack of women in business, political, and professions.

Gender Gender inequality in the US The Women’s Movement Education The World of Work The Political Arena

Sexes were socially, politically, and economically equal. Gender The Women’s Movement Sexes were socially, politically, and economically equal. Suffrage: the right to vote. Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

Gender Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique She REJECTED the notion that women were content with roles of wife and mother. She argued that the “feminine mystique” – the glorification of these roles – was simply a ploy to keep women in a secondary positions in society. Women began to demand greater opportunities and fairer treatment.

Gender Other gains in gender equality: Congress passed several acts outlawing gender discrimination in education and in the workplace.

In today’s American education: Gender Education In today’s American education: 57% women make up in total college population. 56%  women earning all bachelor's degrees awarded.

Gender Differences in degrees: Men: Women: Engineering, physical science, architecture. Women: Education, humanities, library science.

What about graduate school? More women attending graduate school. Gender What about graduate school? More women attending graduate school. Women make up more than 57% of those enrolled in graduate courses. 58% earn Master’s degrees awarded each year. HOWEVER, Women are LESS likely to pursue doctoral or professional degrees.

Gender Athletics 1970s: Funding for women’s athletics practically nonexistent at most coeducational colleges and universities! Female College athletes: 16% Female High school athletes: 8%

Education Amendment Act of 1972: Gender Education Amendment Act of 1972: Bans discrimination on the basis of gender in any program- including athletics – at any educational institution receiving federal funds.

About 40% of all college athletes are women. HOWEVER: Gender About 40% of all college athletes are women. HOWEVER: Less than ¼ of funding for college sports goes to women's athletics Female athletes receive less than one third of available scholarship money.

Wage gap have changed among women: Gender The world of work: Wage gap have changed among women: The level of women’s income relative to that of men. Glass ceiling: The invisible barrier that prevents women from gaining upper- level positions in business.

Working wives work a second shift: What about husbands?: Gender Working wives work a second shift: Have household duties to complete. What about husbands?: Normally, do NOT volunteer to help. May purposely make a mess in hope that will not be asked again. On average, women in U.S have at least 10 hours per week less leisure time than men.

Women are MORE LIKELY to vote in elections! Gender Politics: Women are MORE LIKELY to vote in elections! However, more men hold political positions. Society is more accepting of women leaders: EX: Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, etc…

Age Ageism: The belief that one age category is by nature superior to another age category. EX: TV commercials use elderly people for over the counter medications, dentures, insurance, burial plans, etc….

AGe About 606 million people aged 60 and older worldwide. Europe: oldest region of the world. Africa: youngest region of the world

age The phenomenon of the growing percentage of elderly Americans as part of the total U.S. population. 1. Advances in health care. 2. Variations in birthrates have changed the age structure of the U.S.

AGE Births in U.S.  rose sharply in 1946 and stayed the same until 1960s. (baby-boom generation) Today’s Age: late forties to mid-seventies By 2030, will increase elderly population nearly 70 million.

age The elderly have become both a political force and a topic of debate.

Bringing needs of elderly to national level: Age Bringing needs of elderly to national level: AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) THE LARGEST special-interest group in the U.S. Provides financial advice & health-care insurance plans. Travel and prescription –drug discounts Modern Maturity- magazine

age Concerns for Elderly: Social Security: Funded by payroll or income taxes on workers, employers, the self-employed. Current payroll taxes fund the benefits paid to current retirees. Challenges: Declining birthrates and longer life expectancies mean fewer workers to support growing numbers of retirees.

age Social Security: Dependency ratio: the number of workers for each person receiving Social Security benefits. 1960: 5 to 1 2030: 2 to 1

age Is there hope for Social Security? Raising retirement age Cutting benefits Increasing Social Security payroll taxes.

age Poverty rate for elderly: 10.2% Social Security have made older Americans financially secure at the expense of younger generations. Poverty rate for elderly: 10.2% Poverty rate or general population: 11.3% Poverty rate for children under age 18: 16.2 %

Elderly African Americans: 22% Elderly Hispanics: 19% age Elderly African Americans: 22% Elderly Hispanics: 19% Women are hit by poverty than are men! Poverty levels increase with Hispanic & African American women. Poverty levels often high among old-old (85+).

age Medicaid: Medicare: State and federally funded health-insurance program for low-income individuals. FYI: these programs are the sole sources of health insurance for close to one quarter of elderly Americans. “Old-Old” Challenges: (85+) Medicare: Government-sponsored health-insurance plan for elderly Americans and Americans with disabilities.

Disabilities Americans with Disabilities: Cover a wide variety of conditions: Physical disabilities Chronic health impairments Mental retardation Mental illness Visual, hearing, and speech impairments. Blindness, deafness, and paralysis

Prejudice & Discrimination: disabilities Prejudice & Discrimination: Stereotypical belief that their disabilities make them incapable of doing productive work. Result: High unemployment rate among disabled. Receive government assistance, but still struggle financially.

disabilities Disabled struggled for civil rights. All Handicapped Children Act of 1975: Guaranteed children with disabilities a public education geared toward their needs and abilities.

ADA = “Americans with Disabilities Act” (1990) Address 4 main areas: Employment: Illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in hiring, promotion, and pay. Public services: Transportation Public accommodations: Hotels, restaurants, theaters, etc…. Telecommunications: Telecommunications-relay services (TRS) Hearing and speech impaired

health We will focus on THREE Main Issues: Cost of Health Care Quality of Health Care Access to Health Care

Focuses on THREE Main Issues: health Health Care in the U.S. Focuses on THREE Main Issues: 1. Cost of Health Care – concern over the rapid rise in health care costs Why rise in cost? Hospital care Advances in technology Fears of malpractice lawsuits Increased spending on prescription drugs

health 2. Quality of Health Care – some believe that managed care has decreased the quality of health care. Managed care: limits costs by requiring patients to choose approved doctors who have agreed to reduced rates, requiring approval for treatment, and setting limits on drugs that can be prescribed.

health 3. Access to Health Care – distribution of physicians, both geographically and within the medical profession, has limited accessibility to health care. Geographically: Beverly Hills: 1 Dr.: 254 Poverty stricken: 1 Dr.: 24, 500 Professionally: Short in general-practice doctors. Most in specialty fields (EX: Cardiologists) WHY?? More $$$

Health Health Care Concerns Today 1. Health Insurance – unequal health care exists between public and private insurance programs. Private insurance: people pay set periodic fees. Public insurance: government programs such as Medicare (elderly) and Medicaid (poor). Canada: Gov’t finances health care through national health insurance.

health Inequality and Health: Poor people are LESS likely than wealthy Americans to receive adequate medical care.

health 2. Alternative Medicine – is a concern because there are few scientific studies on the effectiveness of alternative treatments. EX: Chiropractic, massage, meditation, yoga, herbal remedies, etc….

health 3. AIDS – has developed into one of the most serious public-health problems in the U.S. and around the world in just two decades. AIDS: a disease that attacks the immune system, leaving a person vulnerable to a host of deadly infections. HIV: virus that causes AIDS.

health HIV is transmitted through: Sexual contact Contaminated blood and tissue Use of contaminated hypodermic needles

health Highest Risk: Homosexual and bisexual males (46%). Intravenous drug abusers (25%). Sexual partners of high-risk persons. Persons receiving blood transfusions. Babies of high-risk mothers.

How is government helping??? Spent $10 billion!!!! health How is government helping??? Spent $10 billion!!!! 70% went towards care and assistance.

70% of HIV and AIDS sufferers live! health A Global Affair: Sub-Saharan Africa: 70% of HIV and AIDS sufferers live!

health AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome About 70% of the estimated 36 million people in the world currently carrying HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, live in Africa south of the Sahara. By 2000: 17 million already died of AIDS-related diseases.

health In Zimbabwe, a child is more likely to die of AIDS than of any other cause!! Treatments cost too much for Africans or their governments to purchase. In Zimbabwe: Life expectancy fallen from 65 years to 41 years because of AIDS!!

health Estimated that by 2010, 10.7 million children in Africa under the age of 15 will have lost at least one parent to AIDS!!