In class a few weeks ago, we watched a video about how women are dying of heart disease due to the signs and symptoms not being studied in women. We talked about how women may not necessarily react to an illness the same way men do, and this gender difference needs to be taken into account and applied to the way we prescribe medication or diagnose illnesses.
Therefore, with this being said, I was not surprised to read that women face more health problems because of how it could be attributed to the gender differences in illnesses. However, I was surprised that men die earlier of most major causes of death, such as cancer, heart disease, and suicide. I thought this was contradictory because the odds seem to be stacked against the women. However, it seems to be the males who die earlier.
I think masculinity and femininity are societal constructs that have caged both males and females to behave in certain ways. Therefore, it is sad but not surprising to me that masculine men and women have higher mortality rates than feminine men and women. I think one important thing masculinity discourages is depending on others, expressing emotions, and developing strong social connections.
I personally do not define myself as more masculine or feminine- I think I am feminine in some aspects and masculine in others. I think being a macho person isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think it only becomes a bad thing when it begins to confine the individual to behave in a certain manner.
In That 70’s Show, the dad, Red, fought in a war and often prided himself for being directly involved in combat. Therefore, in one episode, he is seen ridiculing his next door neighbor for claiming he fought in the war when he was only in the Coast Guard. Reading this chapter reminded me of this episode because the book talks about how there is a correlation between developing problems and the proximity of combat. Though Red does not abuse alcohol or drugs, he is a vert reclusive and cold individual. On the other hand, the neighbor in the Coast Guard is very bubbly and jubilant all the time.
War is an extremely difficult for the individual involved psychologically, mentally, emotionally, and more. However, there are cases where people come back from war unscathed with new “war buddies” who they have developed strong relationships with. I think the book is right in that these individuals tend to be less involved with the combat action and are not directly impacted by the trauma.
It’s interesting that you made the connection between the video we watched in class– I haven’t thought about it that way before. It seems as though since the medical world back then favored men, it is assumed that men would be less likely to die early. The fact that the studies show that this is not the case demonstrate that health is not simply based on the biological perspective, but that many factors come into play such as social bonds, and epigenetics. Since men were exposed to toxic work environments, they were more likely to contract cardiovascular diseases than women who stayed in “safer” domestic environments.
It is true that the individuals who were less involved in direct combat were less likely to be impacted by the trauma, but what about the men who were involved on the battlefield? The book discusses the role that behavior plays in longevity– men who were more conscientious and appraised stress as a challenge as opposed to a threat were able to cope with their trauma and live wholesome lives!