Gender and health

Abstract

Gender differences in the health status of the adult population continues to be of great interest because of unresolved scientific questions and policy implications. The research suggests that the health of men and women is influenced by the socio-economic and cultural context. Gender attributes and characteristics are socially constructed and culturally defined therefore we would expect that health would vary between men and women and that some component of the gender differential could be explained by differences between men and women in their socio-economic characteristics. Also behavior that adversely affects health varies by gender. In this article selected aspects of the relationship between gender and health indicated in the literature are investigated. The main argument is that differences in demographic, socio-economic and household characteristics of men and women and variations in health risk behavior among men and women, can explain gender differences in health status. Additionally, it is argued that many developing societies including are undergoing transitions in which gender roles are changing in ways that reduce inequalities between men and women. It was expected that this would result in reduced variations in health outcomes between men and women. Evidences from literature are used to assess these arguments.