PART 3 OF 5: SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING: How gender influences health inequalities

Matthews, David

David Matthews is lecturer, health and social care, Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos on Sea.

•This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

5 key points

1 Women have lower mortality rates than men, longer life expectancy, greater morbidity and are overrepresented in health statistics

2 Some health problems are more commonly associated with one gender than the other

3 Sociological factors are as important as biology for determining gender-related health inequalities

4 Women's natural reproductive function has increasingly been medicalised, leading to the increased need for healthcare

5 Expectations of how men and women should behave are based on social constructs and have an impact on health

Nursing Times 111(43):p 21-23, October 21, 2015.

Abstract

Matthews D (2015) Sociology in nursing 3: how gender influences health inequalities. Nursing Times; 111: 43, 21–23. This third article in a five-part series on the relationship between sociology and nursing practice discusses the issue of gender as a social determinant. Health inequalities between men and women are the result of the interaction between biology and society in terms of how society structures and influences our lives. Men and women have different expectations and roles imposed on them by society and this has a significant impact on health.

This part of a series on the socioeconomic influences on health and wellbeing discusses how sociology can help to explain health patterns associated with gender

In this article…

> Sociological theory relating to gender-based health patterns

> How society affects the health of men and women

> A Marxist-feminist view of women's role in society