Gender Differences In Health Care

As a nursing student, concern for patient’s health is necessary. According to WHO, health is not merely the absence of disease, but a state of complete physical , mental, spiritual and social well-being. In this essay, I will first discuss how gender roles and class affect people’s health then I will discuss the reasons behind the sensitivity of healthcare professionals to health inequality.

According to WHO, gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Abbott (2005) discovers that a gendered pattern is found that women have a longer life expectancy than men. Men have lower life expectancy because first there are gender stereotypes when

For example, differences in mobility between elderly people and younger populations or differences in mortality rates between people from different social classes. Equality in health is about ensuring that poorer and vulnerable people in our communities have the opportunity and fair chance to reach the maximum health that they can achieve. For instance, when the patients are recovered and discharged , poor living environment may be a cause that makes the patient ill again. Just as mentioned above, Social conditions have a direct relationship with health. For instance, Wilkinson (1996) analyzes data of mortality and morbidity from several countries and finds that the widest gaps in health inequalities are found in countries that have the widest gaps in income. That shows class order has effects on people’s health. Therefore, healthcare professionals should be sensitive to health inequality because knowing the health inequality not only helps to cure the diseases of patients but also help to promote health . In order to reduce the illnesses and promote health, hospitals are not enough. We need to have healthcare systems to reduce illnesses and promote health. A healthcare system can have different roles regarding the social determinants of health, depending on the level they operate at. For instance, at the macro level the role of a healthcare system is through public policy. For example, in the United Kingdom this is reflected in a national programme to tackle inequalities: "Healthy Places, Healthy Lives". At the meso level , a decentralized policy will be performed. In Hong Kong, the smoking cessation service is an example of community engagement by healthcare institutions. At the micro level it is through factors related to the organisation of the health care system as well as factors related to