Presentation Transcript

1. Chapter 8, pg. 141-162

   Gender, age, and health

2. Gender and Sociology Sex This is one’s biological make-up. Male Female Gender The cultural, psychological, and social traits associated with each of the sexes. Masculine Feminine People have no control over sex, but most view gender as a descriptive term for a persons behavior. Can a person control their Gender? If so, to what degree? Does society teach Gender?
3. Biological Differences between the Sexes Chromosomes Every person has 23 pairs of chromosomes. 22 of the 23 are the same for everyone, the only one that may be different is the sex chromosome. XX Chromosome = Female XY Chromosome = Male Father sperm determine the sex of the baby, mother has no control. Hormones The chemical substances in the body that stimulate or inhibit chemical processes. Female hormones are estrogen and progesterone. Male hormones are testosterone and androgen. These hormones influence the way people physical develop and can influence behavior, but they do not determine behavior.
4. Cultural and Psychological Differences between the Sexes Most sociologists agree that social influences, culture and family, have the greatest influence in a person’s gender. Gender Roles are the behaviors and attitudes that a society view as “normal” for each sex. Children learn what is “normal” from their parents/relatives, religion, schools, and friends.
5. Gender Roles in America Male Female More Aggressive Physical Rougher/Violent Provider (economically) Keep emotions controlled and private Logical decision maker Quiet More Passive Manipulative More Fragile Nurturing (Domestic) Expressive about emotions Emotional decision maker Talkative
6. Socialization and Gender Roles Socialization is the process that teaches a person how to function in the society. Socialization of men and women start at birth and are very different. Stereotypes affect the socialization of men and women as they develop. Stereotypes are oversimplified, general statements about someone, but are often based on the exaggerated image of the group.
7. Stereotypes Examples: Boys are “rough and dirty,” so as kids they are often encouraged to play that way. While girls are suppose to be “pretty and clean”, so they are discouraged from playing in the dirt, woods, etc. Which sex tends to be more “Out-doors” when they are adults? Girls are “neat and clean,” so as kids their toys (dolls) are often displayed in an organized manner. While boys are suppose to be “messy,” so their toys are often thrown in a box. Which sex tends to be more organized and care about appearance when they are adults?
8. Socialization of Gender Roles Women and girls tend to have less rigid gender expectations than for men and boys. Girls/Women can wear skirts or pants, but boys/men can only wear pants. Girls/Women can wear bright colors, but boys/men have a narrow range of colors, especially in a work environment. Girls can play with trucks, video games, etc., while boys may not play with dolls. Men tend to have more pressure to match their gender, while women have more gender freedom. A girl/women being into sports, outdoors, being a “tomboy” is no big deal, but a boy/man dancing, cooking, crafts is often made fun of.
9. Roots of Gender Role Inequalities Historically, men have controlled power and put women into inferior roles. The “important” jobs in farming were based on strength, so men were viewed as more “important.” During the industrial revolution, work became separate from home. Men left home to go work, which continued to be viewed as “important,” while women stayed home to raise the family which is viewed as easier. The gap of inequality has decreased over the last 100 years, but there is not true equality between sexes. Mainly due to more women entering the academic world and workforce. The working world becoming more about mental skills than physical skills, allowing women more opportunities to compete with men.
10. Economy and Gender Roles American society has traditionally viewed the ideal situation is the male at work with the female at home raising the family. In tough economies women were laid off first and were hired back last. WWII needed women in the workforce to replace the soldiers, but after the war ended most women went back home. Women fought for more education and work opportunities in the 1860’s and 1970’s. Economic growth of the 1980’s opened up more jobs for women, which changed the view of women should stay at home.
11. Expressions of Inequality Sexism This is the belief that one sex is superior to the other and that belief is reflected in one’s actions towards the sex they view as inferior. Leads to discrimination Feminism The movement to bring about social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.
12. Change and Conflict The Suffrage Movement Women’s fight to be able to vote in elections. Succeeded in 19th Amendment The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) Stated “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” Opponents fought it stating: Undermines traditional family values Goes against fundamental social norms Never passed, but laws were passed to make discrimination illegal
13. Marriage Traditional marriage customs tend to reinforce inequality between the sexes. Boyfriend asks permission from girlfriends family to propose Father “gives away” the bride Brides family pays for wedding or gives large gift, similar to “dowry” Husband is suppose to be bread-winner, while wife is suppose to take care of family (soccer moms).
14. Women in the Workplace Women make up almost half the workforce. A majority of women work in “service” based jobs, like teachers, secretaries, office managers, librarians, nurses, etc. Often viewed as “Women’s Jobs” Few women are engineers, physicians, computer system analysts, etc. These jobs are viewed as “Men’s Jobs” In general, men’s jobs pay more than women’s jobs. Today women earn about 76% of the salary that men earn.
15. Kids Affect on Work America is not “kid” friendly when it comes to employment. 6 to 12 weeks is the max that a women can take off to have a baby, compared to 1 year in Europe. Childcare is left up to the individuals to secure, compared to many European companies that have daycare at work. Many women feel pressure to not let their kids affect their work or they will lose out on that promotion, so they have to choose work or kids? If women leave the workforce to raise a family for a few years, they usually have a hard time coming back to work at the same position, instead they are often hired back at a lower position with lower pay.
16. Women in Politics Traditionally, politics have been dominated by men. Over the last 30 years, more women have become involved in politics. Still a minority in politics, women can be found on the Supreme Court, in Congress, as Governors, etc.
17. Women’s Equality Today
18. Age and Society Age is the term used to describe how long a person has been alive, but it is more than that in most societies: General terms about age often describes one’s status. Kid, Teenager, Adult, Old, etc. Societies differ in view of age. America – The old and young are not viewed with much respect. Asia – Respect grows with age, so the older one is the more respect they have regardless of any other factors.
19. Demography Demographers are people that study human populations. Key Terms Birth Rate – The ratio of live births in a given year per 1000 people. Death Rate – The ratio of deaths in a given year per 1000 people. Life Expectancy – The number of years a person lives on average.
20. Population Growth Comparing the Birth Rate of a nation to the Death Rate of a nation can show future problems. High Birth Rates + Low Death Rates can lead to overpopulation, which can cause a lot of problems. High Death Rates + Low Birth Rates can lead to under population, which can hurt a nations economy. Birth Rates = Death Rates leads to little population growth, allowing stability.
21. Longer Life Expectancy American Life Expectancy is about 77 years. Longer life expectancy is both good and bad. Good that people are living longer. Enjoy life, more time with family, etc. Bad that people are living longer. Costs money to live, so people need more retirement. Tax payers can pay more for retirement (Social Security) Older people stay in jobs longer or work part-time jobs to make ends meet, reducing the jobs available to younger people that are trying to enter the work force.
22. Age Groups Training Years Birth until enter the work force. Usually between 16 and 25 depending on College Time period where a person develops the skills to become a productive member of society Productive Years Late teens/ early 20’s to retirement Time period where a person is a working member of society. Retirement Years Time one leaves the work force to death Even though still an active member of society, their contributions are not viewed as valued by society.
23. Population Patterns Most stable nations have relatively equal distribution of people to all age brackets, with the main drop happening over 65. Problem nations have one group with a high population compared to low population in other groups.
24. Problem Population Patterns Nation has way more kids than adults. Adults cannot support all the kids, so kids grow up fast and enter the work force early. Nation has way more old people than adults. Adults cannot support all the old people, so old people have to work longer or live a life in poverty. Nation has way more adults than kids Kids will not be able to replace adults as adults become old people and leave the work force, causing economic issues.
25. Global Aging Crisis 1900’s saw advancement in lifestyle and medicine that as greatly extended how long old people live. Societies are trying to address this: When should one retire? What kind of life should a retiree be able to afford? How much “services” should be provided by government for old? How should the health care system handle older people, which are the most expensive to take care of?
26. The “Graying of America” The Baby Boom Generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, make up the largest group of Americans and they are in the process of retiring. The population rate has declined after 1964. How is American society going to take care of them? How is American society going to replace them in the workforce and leadership roles? How is the government going to balance their short term needs with the long term needs of the younger people, even though the younger people make up a smaller group?
27. Social Attitudes and Old Age Some cultures value their old members and treat them with respect, while other societies view them as useless and already dead. Some cultures bring their old back into the homes of their children to be apart of the family Other cultures push their old away and to the edges of society to live isolated from the family.
28. Elderly in the U.S.A. When are you old? Government and Businesses have set up for retirement to start between 65 and 70. Some people retire at this age. Some people retire before this age because they can afford to. Many people retire later then this age because they cannot afford to stop working, they do not have enough saved in retirement.
29. Ageism Ageism-Prejudice and discrimination towards people because they are old. Based on stereotype that old people are ill, helpless, mentally slow, forgetful, weak, etc. Most people have issues close to death, but until that point most people over 65 are healthy. American media rarely uses actors/actresses over 40, making the age groups above that largely invisible in culture.
30. Elderly as a Subculture Live on fixed incomes Struggle with any sudden increase to costs of living. (food, gas, taxes, rent, healthcare) More women than men Women live longer then men, elderly women are 2x as likely to be living alone or with nonrelatives. Cluster in several areas of the country Warmer areas are easier for them to live, Florida and Arizona are popular retirement spots.
31. Age-based Inequality Employment People over 50 are more likely to be laid off because they cost more. People over 50 are less likely to be hired because companies like to “train” younger employees to the norms of the company versus someone that has establish norms. Health Care Older people have more expensive health care costs because they need more health care. Many older people cannot afford this and have to “make-do” by splitting pills in half, going with out treatment, or relying on family instead of nurses.
32. Health and Society 20th Century saw great global success towards overall health improvement. Modern Medicine made huge advancements Production of food grew and became more efficient Sanitation was improved, cleaning up the environment/home/city that many people live in
33. Disease Control Infectious disease is the #1 killer in the world. 20 diseases that we thought were under control have reemerged in stronger forms 30 previously unknown diseases have been identified since 1973 Worldwide the 7 deadliest diseases continue to grow Governments have attempted to combat diseases, but have had little impact to the spread of these in 3rd world nations, while 1st world nations are successfully dealing with these diseases.
34. Health Care Access Lower classes have more health problems, higher rates of death, more disability, and less access to health care. Lower classes tend to have less education and do not have the knowledge to make healthier decisions. Lower classes cannot afford healthier food, so they often are eating the cheaper, unhealthier food. Lower classes cannot afford the costs of being in a gym, joining recreational leagues, etc. so they tend to have less of an active, healthier life.
35. Health Care in America A wide range of health care. Wealthy Americans can afford the best health care in the world. Poor Americans have very limited or no health care. 1 out of every 6 Americans have no health care (50 million people) Most Americans struggle with health care, getting most of what they need, but at a high cost.
36. Rights of the Disabled Over 43 million Americans with some type of disability, ranging from very severe to moderate disabilities. Most disabled Americans are unemployed and many live in poverty. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 provided much legal help for disabled Americans. Requires that all aspects of jobs and society are accessible for people with disabilities.
37. The U.S. Health Care Industry United States is 1 of few industrialized nations without a national health care system, it is privately run. Health Care System is: Individual physicians Groups of doctors Hospitals Nursing homes Pharmaceutical companies Health Insurance providers Health Care in America is a Business
38. Health Costs Health Care costs in the U.S. have gone way up Reasoning: New, expensive, tools for diagnosing illness (MRI, etc.) Major breakthroughs in the effectiveness of surgical procedures and transplants Fear of malpractice lawsuits Patients and doctors with an “insurance will pay for it” attitude Health service charges patients don’t understand Unreasonable profit expectations
39. Impersonal level of Health Care Many insurance plans and health maintenance organizations have pooled doctors and clinics to make the system work better. The insurance choose what doctors you get to see, not you. Doctors and clinics have “time limits” (usually 10 – 15 minutes) on appointments so they see more patients. There is a referral/approval process to see any specialists, making it take days to weeks to see a specialist.
40. Health Insurance In the U.S., 4 options: Employee-funded plans-comes from your job Individual plans that you pay for Government-funded plans – Medicare/Medicaide Go uninsured
41. Health Insurance Most Americans get their health insurance from their employer. Employer pays part of the plan and the individual pays the rest. Plans increase in cost base on usage, so healthy people who do not use it much could see increase in overall cost because of unhealthy co-workers. Many employers have put in “healthy” living policies to keep people from using the health care. Smoking bans at work Exercise options Nutrition Seminars
42. Health Insurance Government provides insurance to: Employees of the government Citizens 65 and older that do not have their own plan Poor people that cannot afford their own plan Plans for older people and poor people are often limited in coverage causing holes where people have not treatment for some situations.
43. Health Insurance Individual Coverage Very expensive for one to get their own plan, so few people do this. Generally used by very wealthy or self employeed
44. No Insurance 16.3 % of Americans do not have any type of health insurance 49.9 million Americans without insurance or 1 out every 6 Some choose not to carry insurance, but most do not have insurance because they cannot afford it. Emergency rooms must provide minimum level of care even if you cannot pay for it. These unpaid care gets passed on to other patients or the tax payers.
45. U.S. Health Care Inequality Health Care system in America is best in world. Great hospitals, best doctors, and best medical research facilities Problem is the access to the system Access is less available to poor and minorities, when compared to wealthy and whites. Whites and wealthy are much healthy than poor and minorities, with illness and death rates much higher for these two groups.
46. U.S. Health Care Inequality Cost and location are the two main factors The best services are the most expensive There is a great difference between the top (most expensive) services and the lowest (cheapest services) The best services are found in wealthier cities and suburbs, some services are only found in 4 or 5 hospitals in the entire country Rural areas and poorer areas often have limited services available, meaning that people have to travel far for the better facilities
47. American Health Care Reform Suggested Reforms: Expand government-sponsored programs Institute more prevention programs to encourage healthy living Increase using hospice programs, programs that help people suffer less during their last few months of dying from a disease Universal health care