Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus: Gender Differences From a Health Perspective
It’s clear that as men and women, we tend to be very different. While we’re all individuals with our own minds, the way we tend to think, act and behave is hugely influenced by both our biology and hormones- as well as the way our environment has shaped us. And while things are changing, there’s no denying that pressures and expectations between males and females still remain very different. Society allows women to cry and express their emotions, but expects them to look youthful, beautiful and be meek and mild. There are less pressures on men's physical appearances, but they’re expected to be strong, brave and to not show emotion or ‘weakness.’ And this is just the very tip of the iceberg as to how our gender shapes us. These differences mean that as adults, men and women can end up almost feeling like different species to each other! Here are some gender differences between men and women from a health perspective.
Men and women are more prone to different kinds of illnesses
There are of course major biological differences between men and women, which impact the kind of illnesses and diseases each gender can get. For example, women can’t get testicular cancer and men can’t get ovarian cancer. But even within the organs and body parts that are the same within each of us, men and women do tend to suffer with different kinds of issues. For example, men are twice as likely within their lifetime to have a heart attack, but women are more likely to get osteoporosis. Men are more likely to have to deal with tinnitus management, and women are more prone to anxiety. Some of these things can be explained by social and lifestyle explanations, others with hormones but with some it’s unknown why men and women suffer differently with different ailments.
Mental health
Picking back up with mental health, research shows that women are more likely to have a ‘common’ mental health disorder, and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. On the other hand, men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women, and are more likely to suffer with serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia. One reasons for this is that women are more likely to open up about their issues and seek help for them, accessing medication and/ or therapy which prevents the condition from spiralling. Men are more likely to bottle up their emotions until they can no longer cope, explaining the higher suicide rate. According to Healthy Debate, having mental health issues is a major predictor for suicide, almost everyone who dies from suicide has an underlying mental health problem. Ninety percent of people who die by suicide are experiencing some sort of mental illness or addiction, most often depression so when this isn’t treated or acknowleged it can spell disaster. When boys are raised to believe it’s ‘bad’ to get upset, show emotion or admit that they’re struggling it can lead to seriously faulty thinking in adulthood.
Reproductive health
One of the major differences between men and women is of course our reproductive systems, and the fact that as women we carry and give birth to children. Both genders need to be aware of their reproductive health by attending screenings and living a generally healthy lifestyle, however as women we have the addition of massive body changes that occur when we become pregnant and give birth. While men's hormones will remain relatively stable over the course of weeks, months and years, ours change dramatically over the course of each month and particularly through pregnancy. Hormones affect so much, not just physically but mentally too. One explanation for more anxiety occurring in women is that changes in progesterone levels (which naturally rise and fall through your cycles and life) are linked with anxiety. In fact, research shows that there is an increase in anxiety and frequency of panic attacks during PMS, post-childbirth, perimenopause and menopause and andropause.
Living a healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, but knowing your risks based on your gender can help you to avoid lots of serious issues. Attend your screenings, take a multivitmin tailored to your age and gender and try and fight past stereotypes that prevent you accessing the healthcare you need.
