Conflict Theory and the Meaning of Health, Wellness and Illness by Use of Gender - Essay Example

Sociological Theory Name Institution Date Conflict Theory and the Meaning of Health, Wellness and Illness by Use of Gender Introduction Several factors influence the state of health and wellness of individuals. Some of these are genetics, lifestyle, environment, gender, national health policy, social status and income but generally, poor social and economic status exposes one to health problems. There are several sociological theories that define society such as feminism, Marxism, structural functionalism and Conflict theory among others. This paper will critically look at conflict theory and will basically focus on the meanings of the health, wellness and illness in the context of gender and the conflict theory. Disease is defined as pathological change in the composition of the mind and body. A disease can be acute or chronic. Acute is where the body reacts fast to the onset of warning signs and can be life threatening if not attended to although some symptoms may not require medical attention and will disappear within a short period of time. Chronic diseases are wide-ranging composed of various physical and mental changes in health. Illness is quite personal; where an individual feels unhealthy but is not always because of a disease. One may feel sick or be actually sick. It depends on how the individual feels in regard to the sickness and requires the attention of a nurse. Gender is a social construct that is; it’s a creation of society that is assigned depending on the physical sex of an individual that’s biologically determined at birth. Gender is defined as a social-cultural The socio-cultural practice which classifies human beings into various groups of male or female, with each group having been assigned certain roles and expectations (Boundless.com, 2000). Good health is not merely absence of illness but rather it is a state of being in whole physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing. On an individual or personal basis, one describes health in terms of how they feel and their ability to perform certain tasks. Wellness incorporates several factors of functioning aimed at maximizing an individual’s full potential and capability. The various factors are supposed to be maintained at a balance and focused direction. The Conflict Perspective In this theory, there is a struggle for control and power among social groupings over resources. It suggests that inequality in society arises because the individuals who own a large share of resources exercise authority over others who hold less resulting in power struggle between the two groups. This theory looks at social classes, race and ethnicity and most important gender as being the basis of most conflicts in society. Social problems arise when the dominant class take advantage of the less fortunate and the only solution, which is elusive due to the general capitalist nature of society, is balance of power and resources between the two factions (Anderson & Taylor, 2009). The conflict theory is of the basic view that men being the dominant gender, hold the view that women are inferior so as to in-subordinate them and maintain men’s power and control of resources in society. In other words, men try to amass power and opportunities to themselves to the disadvantage of women. In most cultures around the world, men have been in control of power and resources. It’s only in the recent past that Western countries have allowed women to vote or own property (CliffNotes.com, 2011). Women have been depended completely on men. In some third world countries today, women are still not allowed to inherit property from their fathers or husbands. Men on the hand held on to power and were not willing to give up resulting into social conflicts both political and economic resulting to the rise of feminist movements such the Women Suffrage Movement. Engels observed the family structure from a Marxist point of view and concluded that the proletariat-bourgeoisie link existed in the households with women being the worker due to her dependence on the man for her living. Modern-day conflict theorists are of the view that women empowerment will create more freedom in households but women still bear the domestic roles burden (Boundless.com, 2000). The United Nations Gender-related Development Index is a program conducted in almost all the countries in the world that seeks to show the inequalities that exist between men and women in terms of quality of life they lead, health and education (United Nations Development Program). Women and girls are generally disadvantaged creating the existing inequality in health, education and employment opportunities which impacts negatively on them. This measure clearly demonstrates the fact that women are generally disadvantaged in society (United Nations Development Program). Female gender roles affect their health, wellness and illness Gender difference in health, wellness and illness is a fact. Gender roles mean women undertake activities that have a significant influence on health and well-being. As it has been concluded, life expectancy is higher in women that men all over the world although the extent varies significantly worldwide and within a country over time but it’s not all rosy in the longer lives women live. It is recorded that women provide two-thirds of the world labour and receive only 20% of the global income and only 1% of the women own the means of production (Robbins, 1999). Women spend majority of the working hours doing household work with very little time left to engage in paid work. Worse still is the fact that even when engaged in remunerative work, they are generally paid less than men. Women’s health and wellness is affected when they are working although they may not realize. This is why women report more cases of backaches, neck pains and headaches more than men as they are related to physical activities the women do. Women with formal jobs report sexual harassment at the work place which in many instances results to feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety and depression. In Turkey, a survey was done among nurses who reported 75% of them had been sexually harassed: 44% by male doctors, 34% by patients and 14% by patients’ relatives. Women who have ventured in male-dominated fields suffer discrimination and harassment from their male counterparts (World Heath Organisation, Department of Gender, Women and Health, 2004). Women in developing counties are most affected in terms of their health, wellness and illness that result from their ascribed gender roles. They are known to carry out extremely heavy menial jobs such as carrying water, firewood and heavy loads over long distances which result to musculoskeletal disorders. They use open-cooking fires which have multiple risks such as burns and respiratory diseases such as asthma and tuberculosis that arise from exposure to smoke containing harmful substances (World Heath Organisation, Department of Gender, Women and Health, 2004). It is a common belief that women are more ‘sickly’ compared to men. This is thinking may be caused by excess morbidity that depreciates the quality of life of women. This maybe brought about by social factors such as stress and lack of economic resources that is related to social gender roles. Gender roles mean women more exposed and vulnerable to stress and other diseases compared to male roles affecting their general health and wellness. For instance women are the ones who take care of the sick and terminally ill family members exposing to the risk of contacting diseases and when the patient dies, the caregiver is affected emotionally compromising her general wellbeing. Some researchers argue that men and women cope with stress in different ways. Men under stress engage in drug and substance abuse, exhibit anger and hostility while women suffer emotional and apprehension disorders. These responses are influenced by the gender-role socialization patterns that dictate the ways which men and women can express their frustrations. A study in Britain (Macintyre, Hunt, & Sweeting, 1996) based on sex found a high number of women than men having mental illness. Mental illness is described as illnesses causing affective or emotional instability, behavioral deregulations and cognitive dysfunction. It includes; depression, hypertension, and varicose veins with symptoms of worrying, lack of concentration, fatigue and insomnia, headaches, dizziness and fainting. Other diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, digestive and back problems were observed in both genders in equal distribution. The complexity of this topic and differences in health results, national authorities and time in which and where the studies are done make it difficult to come to a concrete conclusion on this matter but the general observed pattern makes it essential to accept there exists high morbidity in women than men (Macintyre, Hunt, & Sweeting, 1996). Early Marriages and female genital mutilation practices are still prevalent in developing counties. Early marriages expose young girls to trauma and deny them their right to education. Many women lack knowledge on sexual and reproductive health (United Nations Development Program). The uneducated girls do not know basic hygiene practices that could help them avoid hygiene-related killer infections such as diarrhea and cholera. The women give birth at home, not knowing the benefits of visiting health centers and risk infections such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis spread by shared needles and razors used by local midwifes. Other women die due to labour-related complications such as excessive blood loss. Female genital mutilation puts women at risk of excessive blood loss, HIV/AIDS and distorted genitals which complicates child birth. These are observed mostly developing countries which accounts for majority of the world’s population. Health problems in relation to men Men are said to benefit in their health and wellness when working. It is a man’s role to provide for his family. However their jobs too may affect their health and wellness especially when there is a lot of pressure which affects their emotional wellbeing. Others are exposed to noise and vibrations, chemicals and extreme temperatures which may affect their physical and reproductive health. Conclusion Women roles as mothers, caregivers and household managers generally exposes them to health problems which cause them poor health, exposes them illnesses which affects their general wellness levels as compared to roles that men do. Conflict arises due to the existing difference in gender roles between men and women; with women undertaking roles that deny them decent income and expose them to musculoskeletal disorders and mental illness. References Anderson, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2009). Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont CA: Thomson Wordsworth. Boundless.com. (2000). The Conflict Perspective - The Theoretical Perspectives on Gender Stratification:. Retrieved 07 25, 2013, from Boundless: https://www.boundless.com/sociology/understanding-gender-stratification-and- inequality/the-theoretical-perspectives-on-gender-stratification/the-conflict-perspective-- 3/ CliffNotes.com. (2011). Three Mahor Perspectives in Sociology. Retrieved 07 26, 2013, from CliffsNotes.com: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-26957,articleId- 26837.html. Macintyre, S., Hunt, K., & Sweeting, H. (1996). Gender Differences in Health: Are Things really Simple as they seem? Social Science and Medicine. Robbins, R. H. (1999). Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Allyn and Bacon. United Nations Development Program. (n.d.). Indices & Data | Gender Inequality Index | Human Development Reports (HDR) | United Nations Dev. Retrieved 07 26, 2013, from Human Development Report: http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/gii/ World Heath Organisation, Department of Gender, Women and Health. (2004, 09). W.H.O Gender and Health. Retrieved 07 26, 2013, from WHO Gender and Health: www.who.int/gender/other_health/Gender,HealthandWorklast.pdf Read More