8 : gender and health Flashcards
feminism
theories and movements for women’s rights and liberation
-response to previous theories that mainstream sociology is “male-stream”
-inequities and unequal power relations are shaped by gender/gendered understandings
-gender informs how one experiences the world
-many perspectives, voices and paradigms house within the feminist theory umbrella eg. liberal, radical, marxists,
society is gendered such that women and men have…
different access to power, opportunities and decision making. These differences are SOCIALLY constructed
assumptions of feminist theories
a. concerned with power inequity stemming from gender relations
b. concerned also with redressing* gender inequity
c. power can be
-structural : systemic privileging of one gender over another through formal structures and institutions in society (laws, income)
relational : one gender may experience more privilege in relationships or interactions with others (who is heard, who makes decisions
sociocultural : how genders are valued (preference for a son over a daughter)
first wave (late 19th century - early 20th century)***
-dont need to know key dates
-right to vote (“suffrage”) granted provincially to some women beginning in 1916 (Alberta, saskatchewan & manitoba)
-> asian men and women - 1948
-> inuit men and women - 1950s
-> first nations men an women - 1960s
BNAA amended to recognize women as persons (1929)
-> the famous five : person include female persons
-> supreme court of canada -> privy council of england
-led by educated upper-middle class white women
second wave : key concepts **
-patriarchy
a system of power, including social institutions, which functions to subordinate women and children and privilege men
eg. hiring system that excludes women
sexual division of labour
nature of work performed as a result of gender roles (men = breadwinner; women = homemaker)
socialization
process of learning the culture of a society (e.g. its language and customs), which shows us how to behave and communicate -> gender role socialization
gender role/norm
role or behaviour considered to be appropriate to a particular gender as determined by prevailing cultural norms
second wave (1960s - 1970s) ***
- prominent inequities challenged : gender role socialization, control of body, reproductive rights, access to opportunities
-“the problem that has no name” = assumption that women’s destiny = housewives
- outcomes : domestic violence shelters, women’s health clinics, contraceptives, legal abortions
-critiqued for being white-, hetero, upper-middle class centric
third wave (1990s-present) ***
key words and key figure
diversity, individualism
Kimberle Crenshaw
Intersectionality **
a term coined by american critical race scholar, kimberle crenshaw in 1989 to examine how race and sex/gender were mutually constituted
-how various biological, cultural, and social categories interact on multiple (and often simultaneous) levels that lead to oppression and inequality
-has expanded over time to include other social positions and forms of oppression beyond gender, class and race
fourth wav (2010-present)
-#metoo movement
-harvey weinstein case, isla vista shooting, slutwalks, pussyhat project
-trans-inclusive, queer-inclusive, sed-positive, body-positive, online and offline
four waves : summary
weaving thread : gender as an organizing principle of society
-some waves focus on gender socialization and gender roles; other waves have highlighted how gender intersects with other forms of exlusion like racism, or homophobia and transphobia
equality
everyone should be treated the same
1st wave : right to vote
2nd wave : equal pay for equal work
equity
equity : everyone should be treated fairly and according to their own needs
3rd wave : diversity and individualism
4th wave : social justice, allyship, gender inclusive
Sex
a multidimensional biological construct that encompasses anatomy, physiology, genes and hormones which together affect how we are treated in the world
-> DO use sex to refer to the classification of male and female . this is a medical and legal assignment made at birth, based largely on the external genitals of newborn infants
gender
the socially constructed categories of feminine and masculine (cultural values of how men and women should behave)
-> DO use gender to refer to the social meaning ascribed to sexed differences. This includes gender norms, roles, stereotypes, as well as gender identity, expression and gender conformity or non-conformity
gender identity
your “sense of self as a woman, a man, both, in between or neither. Only you can determine your gender identity”
-cis-gender : umbrella term for al people whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth
trans-gender : umbrella term for all people whose gender identity and the sex assigned at birth do not align
gender identity : implications for health
-assumptions that sex will align with gender seriously limits access to certain services and treatments
-access to quality care with dignity is a significant concern for people who are trans
gender expresssion
-how a person demonstrates or performs their gender identity
-> use of pronouns, dressing in ways that are understood to be masculine, feminine, non-binary, participating in spaces that are gendered
gender expression - implications for health
-safety in public spaces and health spaces
-access to appropriate care and services
-psycho-social impacts on ongoing microaggressions and violence
hegemonic femininity and masculinity
-refer to the qualities conventionally deemed “manly” or “womanly”
-“hegemonic” = ruling/dominant in a political or social context, dominance of one group/set of ideas over another, often supported by socially constructed norms and ideas legimated over time
-qualities that a man or woman is believed to have or shold have in order to be perceived as a man or a woman (in a given society)
hegemonic feminity
-chracteristics and body ideals
characteristics : docile, submissive, sexy/sweet, emotional
body ideals : thin, toned, youthful
hegemonic masculinity
-chracteristics and body ideals
chrac : stoic, aggressive, control of emotions, sexual prowess
body ideals : strong, muscular, machine-like, invulnerable, able-bodied
sexual orientation
-pattern of emotional, romantic or sexual attraction
-> may include attraction to the same gender (homosexual), different (hetero), both me and women (bi), all genders (pansexual) or neither (asexual)
-LGBTQIP2SA :
two spiritied (2S) : having both masculine and feminine spirit - term used by some indigenous people to describe their spiritual, sexual and or gender identity
genderbread
gender identity : brain
gender expression : body
biological sex : privates
sexual orientation : heart
many health education and healthcare services based on ***
heteronormativity, heterosexism, cis gender bias (assumption that sex and gender identity align)
access to health/ health care shaped and constrained by *****
heteronormativity and heterosexism
heteronormativity **
the assumption that heterosexuality is the only normal and natural expression of sexuality, assumed to be superior to other sexual orientations
heterosexism
a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favour of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. this may be the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual
manifestations in health care **
-questions asked based on assumptions
-nonverbal cues
-overt discrimination and denying patient care
-providing inappropriate resources/information
what do sex and gender have to do with health
a multitude of ways individuals will experience health differently based on their sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression and gender identity
-there is also a sex and gender-based pattern to health and illness
->life expectancy differences
-> chronic illness/disability differences
-> accidents, suicide and injuries
using feminism to understand men’s health
men are 39% more likely to die from diabetes, 845 FROM ARTERial diseases and 78 from heart disease
-experience significantly higher mortality rates from all kinds of cancer
-have a rate of lost years of life twice that of women (most from heart disease, suicide, motor accidents)
often fail to consider
health risks associated with men’s gender
-mens shorter lives often presumed to be natural or inevitable
HIMM
health , illness, men and masculinities
theoretical model for understanding men and their health
-men with similar social disadvantages as women experience poorer health outcomes
-explores how msculinities intersect with other SDM creating health disparities among men
HIMM : theoretical model for understanding men and their health
-being a woman is the strongest predictor of preventative and health-promoting behaviour
-women employ more coping strategies and are more likely to seek social support
-helath promoting behaviours linked with femininity
-risktaking behaviours linked with masculinity
masculinity in youth
-for boys and young men, physical risk is naturalized, promoted and celebrated
-take it like a man, be independant, dont seek help -> long term implications
-encouraged to demonstrate aggression, stregnth and risk-taking
masculinity in middle years
men construct masculinity in relation to work and/or income
-work defines status in masculine hierarchy
-work in physical labor requires men to demonstrate masculintiy through stoicism and denial of body pain
- white collarjobs = pressure to achieve, work long days, higher stress = high BP
-35-50 yo rise in depression, physical complaints, drkinking, but low acknowledgement
masculinity in later life
illness becomes more frequent harger to sustain “hegemonic masculine ideals”
-masculine identities linked to work/career so leaving work can pose a challenge to identity
-location in gender “hierarchy” changes
