Gender Inequalities in Health and Illness

Gender Inequalities in Health and Illness Gender Inequalities in Health and Illness This essay will look at the gender inequalities in health and illness statically. This essay will also look at how women live longer than men and what diseases and mental health symptoms affect both men and women in mortality and morbidity rates such as cancers and depression. Statistics will show how people are living longer and how this will continue as more people will become centenarians as the years go by. This essay will also show findings of stereotypes or stigmas attached to both genders and how this affects healthcare both physically and mentally along with how society thinks in regards to both genders and the impact this has. Finally it will look at masculinity and how and why this affects men going to the GPs about their healthcare and the effects of this. Today women tend to live longer than men on average in industrialised countries, although this is true women experience more ill health through their lifetimes compared to men. More women rather than men suffer from somatic complaints such as aches and pains, headaches and tiredness to mention a few (Backes, G et al, 2008). Women’s mortality rates are often because of breast, cervix and uterus cancers whereas ischemic heart disease and lung cancer has a higher mortality rate in men (Bury, M, 2005). Although some researchers believe there is more consistency in studies that involve depression, anxiety and minor psychological illness compared to the studies of higher illness rates in women (Bartley, 2004). At all ages males have a greater mortality rate than women in the United Kingdom due to injuries and suicide. Cardiovascular disease and cancers are also one of the main reasons male mortality rate is higher than that of women’s. Depressive disorder, mental health, anxi ety and disability all have higher morbidity rates for women than men (Acheson, 1998). Higher mortality rates in men can be explained by social factors such as employment whereby males tend to be in employment that is ‘risky’ such as exposure to toxic chemicals, environmental hazards and dangerous machinery. Driving under the influence of alcohol, dangerous sports and road traffic accidents are all major risk taking behaviours that men rather than women tend to participate in (Bury, M, 2005). Men used to have a higher smoking rate than women resulting in lung cancer but today it is seen that young girls under fifteen years of age are more likely to smoke than boys of the that same age group. The recommended daily intake of alcohol is usually acknowledged by women whereas men in all age groups tend to drink more than the recommended daily intake (Scambler, 2008). One third of babies born in 2013 will live to they are one hundred according to the office for national statistics. Of these 797,000 babies that were less than one in 2013 in the UK, 151,000 of these will be women and 123,000 will be men that live to one hundred in 2113 (Office for national Statistics, 2013).Whereas only 8% of men and 14% of women who were sixty-five in 2013 would go on to live until they are one hundred around 85,000 altogether. Looking further back in time there were only six hundred centenarians in 1961, ninety of these being men, this has increased every year since then for example in 2013 there were a total of 14,000 centenarians in the United Kingdom (Office for national Statistics, 2013). It is expected that 111,000 people will live to one hundred or more by 2037. Women are expected to become centenarians more so than men in all years as in 1961 there were five hundred this rose to 12,000 in 2013 and is expected to rise higher resulting in 77,000 women becomin g centenarians by 2037 and 293,000 by 2062. Men have had a rapid rise in centenarians from 1961 where there were only ninety centenarians this rose to 2,000 in 2013. It is estimated men living to one hundred or over will rise to 34,000 by 2037 and 163,000 by 2062 (Office for national Statistics, 2013). The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in ‘good’ health men in the least deprived areas could live to 70.5 years whereas men in the most deprived areas could live to 52.2 years. Women on the other hand can live in ‘good’ health in the least deprived areas for up to 71.3 years whereas women in the most deprived areas can live to 52.4 years. When measured by the range there were nine years difference between men in the most deprived areas compared to the men in the least deprived areas (Office for National Statistics, 2015). Women when measured by the range had a 6.9 year shorter life expectancy for women in the most deprived areas compared to the women in the least deprived areas. In ‘good’ health men in the least deprived areas lived 19.1 years longer and 19.5 years for women (Bury, M, 2005). There are a lot of assumptions around gender stereotypes that are socially constructed which to this day still exist in society. People or society expect a women to be a certain way or act a certain way such as staying at home looking after children and being a housewife rather than getting a job and that they are responsible for raising children (Cook, R and Cusack, S, 2010). Women are nurses rather than doctors, women do not need to have a career, and women should cook and do housework. Women do not or cannot have technical jobs such as being a mechanic these are some of the stereotypes associated with women (Cook, R and Cusack, S, 2010). People or society expect a man to enjoy working on cars, are doctors and not nurses, that men do ‘dirty’ jobs such as construction or mechanics. Men do not do housework and are not responsible for taking care of children, men are in charge husbands tell their wives what to do and are lazy or messy these are just some of the stereotype s associated with men (Health Guidance, No date). These stereotypes can affect both genders mentally and physically and can have an impact on mortality and morbidity rates such as a man doing a ‘dangerous’ job or a women having depression. Masculinity ideology plays a vital role in men’s health, men believe they should be powerful, strong, brave, intelligent, healthy, mature and in control (Sabo, D and Gordon, F, 1995). When these statements are untrue or thought to be untrue it can have a negative impact on men resulting in substance misuse and criminality, depression and suicide to mention a few as a lot of men especially young men feel powerless, weak, fearful and do not pay attention to their mental, physical or emotional health (Key issues in promoting health, No date). It is a fact that women are more open to talk about health problems than men which is why women that suffer from depression and anxiety are seen to have higher morbidity rates according to statistics. It is thought that biological and social factors contribute to depression and are seen differently in both men and women (Mental Health Foundation, No date). Men aged sixteen to forty-four are less likely to visit GPs than women due to worries of losing pay from their job if they take an appointment but also from masculinity problems such as thinking the environment in GP surgeries are too feminine and the general attitude men take towards healthcare and social expectation when they are ill (Harvey, S, et al, No date). It is also seen that because women are more open about their health, statistics show they visit the GPs more often than men and that they may go to the GPs for less severe symptoms of illness compared to men (Harvey, S, et al, No date). In conclusion this essay has looked at the statistics of inequalities in health and illness. Such as the fact that today women tend to live longer in industrialized countries than men and it seems that it is going to continue in that way, at the same time there has been a rapid rise in men living longer with mortality rates decreasing due to different employment available in this present day. Women morbidity rates are higher than men’s due to women seeking medical advice more often and being more open about their healthcare issues, whereas men avoid GPs either because of worry of losing pay from work or masculinity reasons such as the stigma that ‘men do not get sick’ (Bartley, 2004; Acheson, 1998; Scambler, 2008; Harvey, S, et al, No date). Although life expectancy rates are higher for both men and women it also seems that people living to one hundred or more is on the rise from six hundred centenarians in the 1960s to fourteen thousand centenarians in 2013 and it is estimated to rise higher each year onwards. Stereotypes have also had an impact on both genders due to society having the thought that men should have ‘dirty’ or ‘dangerous’ jobs and women should stay at home or have ‘clean’ jobs therefore it can result in physical problems or higher mortality rates for men and mental health problems such as anxiety or depression for women. Masculinity plays a vital role in men’s health due to the stigmas attached therefore mental health such as depression is seen different to professionals such as GPs in both men and women (Office for national Statistics, 2013; Office for National Statistics, 2015; Mental Health Foundation, No date; Harvey, S, et al, No date). Bibliography Books Acheson, D (1998). Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health Report. 1st edn. London: The Stationary Office. Backes, G et al (2008) Gender, Health and Ageing: European Perspectives on Life Course, Health Issues and Social Challenges. 13th edn. Springer Science and Business Media. Bartley, M (2004). Health Inequalities: An Introduction to Theories, Concepts, and methods. 1st edn. Cambridge: Polity Press. Bury, M (2005). Health and Illness. 1st edn. Cambridge: Polity Press. Cook, R and Cusack, S (2010). Gender Stereotyping: Transnational Legal Perspectives. 1st edn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Sabo, D and Gordon, F (1995). Men’s Health and Illness: Gender, Power, and the Body. 1st edn. London: SAGE Publications, Inc. Scambler, A (2008). Women and Health in Scambler G (ed) Sociology as Applied to Medicine. 1st edn. Elsevier Limited. Websites Harvey, S et al. (No date) Why are men reticent to visit their GP? What can be done to address this situation? [Online] Available at: http://www.socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/media//Mens_Health_Forum_Project.docx Accessed: 22/03/15 Health Guidance (No date) List of Gender Stereotypes. [Online] Available at: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15910/1/List-ofGender-Stereotypes.html Accessed: 20/02/15 Key issues in promoting mental health (No date) Masculinity and mental health Dr Ken Harland. [Online] Available at: http://www.ycni.org/downloads/misc/masculinity_mental_health.pdf Accessed: 21/03/15 Mental Health Foundation (No date) Mental Health Statistics: Men Women. [Online] Available at: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/men-women/ Accessed: 20/03/15 Office for National Statistics (2015) Inequality in healthy life expectancy at birth by national deciles of area deprivation: England, 2011 to 2013. [Online] Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/disability-and-health-measurement/inequality-in-healthy-life-expectancy-at-birth-by-national-deciles-of-area-deprivationengland/2011-13/index.html Accessed: 20/03/15 Office for National Statistics (2013) One Third of Babies born in 2013 are expected to live to 100. [Online] Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lifetables/historic-and-projected-data-from-the-period-and-cohort-life-tables/2012-based/sty-babies-living-to-100.html Accessed: 21/03/15

All the Worlds a Stage by William Shakespeare Essay

â€Å"All The World’s a Stage† by William Shakespeare is a short poem comparing our lives and the many stages we have to a theatrical play and the many rolls an actor plays in them. William Shakespeare identifies the seven stages a person goes through in life. Infancy, the stage where he is a baby introduced to the world, crying and puking in the nurse’s arms. Childhood, this is the stage where he is growing up and starting school with no enthusiasm. The lover, this is the stage where he has a mistress and falls in love with her, while he tries to sing her a song he can’t look into her eyes because he’s so shy. The soldier is when he tries to keep his reputation thinking less of himself and more of others, and always being ready to fight. The justice stage is where he has gained wisdom and prosperity by the many experiences he had in life. The old age stage is when he begins to lose his charm physically and mentally, he also loses his firmness and personality. Finally, physical and mental lose and death, he begins to become dependent on others like a child and needs constant help from others to perform any tasks; he slowly loses his teeth, eyesight, and taste, until he finally dies. In this paper I will analyze the way William Shakespeare compares a person’s life and its many stages to a theatrical stage and the many rolls and actor performs, his tone, how he uses explicit details, imagery, repetition, consonance, and any other figurative language he uses in this poem. Tone The tone in this poem in my opinion is that William Shakespeare feels as if everyone ends up the way people do just because we all go through life as if we were actors on a stage reading a script knowing every step to take till the very end. He is accepting of death, he knows that everyone goes through every single stage of life assuming they know what do to do next, but no one really does. I came to this conclusion because Shakespeare shows no type of anger or excitement throughout the poem. He is neutral; he is neither afraid of death nor excited about it. He feels as if everyone has a purpose in life and to find that purpose you have to go through every stage. It doesn’t matter how confident you are, how hard you try, or how fast you get through each stage, everyone will always end the same way, dying. Shakespeare knows you cannot skip this part of life no matter who you are. One can only enjoy the time you have and wait for your time to come. He understands no one’s life is fully complete until you go through your final stage of life and die. Imagery William Shakespeare uses a lot of very strong visual imagery though out his poem. In line 7-9 one can visualize a little boy in the morning, tired and very slowly dragging himself to school with his satchel, when he says â€Å"the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school. † Another sense of strong imagery is in line 5-6, when he says â€Å"at first, the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. † In this line one can easily picture a nurse holding a baby who just came into this world for the first time, whining, squirming, and puking in her arms. In line 9-11 William Shakespeare says â€Å"the lover sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress’ eyebrow. † Here he explains that the lover wrote his mistress a song like poem to express his love to her, but his too shy to look her in the eyes while he sings to her. William Shakespeare uses the entire poem â€Å"All the World’s a Stage† as a metaphor to compare the stages of life to a theatrical stage. He explains how the rolls we play throughout our lives are like the rolls an actor plays on stage. He makes sure to say that no one is ever the same person their entire life, just as an actor doesn’t stay the same throughout a play. William Shakespeare uses strong imagery and metaphor in the poem for us to picture images every stage and how we change all throughout them as we read. Sound Sound is a very big part of this poem, because he uses a specific structure, some rhyme and repetition. The structure of this poem is very important because each stage is in order. He goes from infant, to schoolboy, to lover, to soldier, to justice, to old age, and finally death. For one’s life to start you must be born into this world as an infant; then you slowly grow into a schoolboy, become a lover and then a soldier trying to keep your reputation. You gain wisdom and justice and then you grow into old age where you lose your appearance physically and mentally. Lastly you become dependent on others and eventually your life is over. This poem also has some rhyme in it but not much. You will not find rhyme in the same line. In line 7 he uses the word â€Å"whining† and in line 8 he uses the word â€Å"shining† to describe the schoolboy, which both words rhyme with each other. He doesn’t feel the need to have to rhyme so much in this poem for one to fully understand the metaphor he is conveying. He also uses repetition in the last line of the poem. As he says â€Å"sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything† he repeats â€Å"sans† to let you know he has lost his teeth, eyes, taste, everything as he dies. Theme The theme to â€Å"All the World’s a Stage† in my opinion is live life to the fullest with no regrets. Everyone should have their own life, and do their own thing. No one should have the same routine every single day, that’s boring. Be spontaneous, do things you’d never imagine doing. You’d be surprised at the many things one can do in this world at any age; we just have to be willing to leave our comfort zone and let loose. One should not let another person take over their life for any reason. We should have control of it, and be able to do what we want when we want, and not have to ask for permission. Not everyone goes through each stage of life at the same time, it shouldn’t matter how old one is. One should always have time to laugh and have a good time at any time no matter what. In this poem it is very clear that William Shakespeare wants you to understand how one goes through life. One usually goes through life making choices behind choices, living off your decisions and its consequences. We each have our own routine we follow day by day, even if we don’t always notice it. It’s as if were a character in a play and we follow a script we memorize every day, until something unexpected happens and our role changes. We have to accommodate the new situation into our schedule and try to make it work. We also have time to squeeze in some fun and live. We tend to surprise ourselves from time to time to shake up our lives a little. If you go through your whole life thinking â€Å"what if† isn’t healthy, you need to take a risk and throw yourself out there. Have fun and live your life while you still have it.

Navy Recommendation

1. While serving in the capacity as the Command Career Counselor the USS STEPHEN W GROVES (FFG 29), I have had the good fortune to have Petty Officer Jason Martinez work with me as the Assistant Command Career Counselor for our ship. 2. This past year has afforded me the opportunity of witnessing the many accomplishments PS1 has been able to achieve both personally and professionally. Petty Officer Martinez has demonstrated exceptional knowledge of all necessary retention programs such as PTS, CIMS, NRMS, Fleet RIDE and NRMS. He has led the way in training and providing information to our crew through First Terms Success Workshops, Career Development Training Courses and GENDET Success Workshops. Furthermore, PS1(SW) Martinez has been a driving force to ensure career development boards are conducted effectively. He has embodied the ideals of career development by encouraging the engagement of the chain of command providing the guidance needed by sailors to attain the objectives of the Sailor Continuum’s five vectors. 3. In addition to the above-mentioned accomplishments, he has completely overhauled our Command Sponsorship Program, establishing a new sponsorship team from the main departments of the ship, and providing the necessary training for instant results. Petty Officer Martinez flawlessly processed and tracked 23 reenlistments of which 15 were SRB entitlements over 110,000 dollars. He has processed six Fleet Reserve, seven Career Status Bonus, and 56 Perform to Serve applications. During this period while assigned as Assistant Command Career Counselor, he has stepped in and executed the duties as the Command Career Counselor, while I was away either TAD or on leave. 4. Petty Officer Martinez routinely performs his tasks flawlessly and at a higher pay-grade than is expected at his current rank, whether it is explaining Navy policies to the Captain, Executive Officer or counseling a sailor as to his career path options. His overall development as both an Assistant Command Career Counselor and a sailor over the past year has been nothing short of exemplary! Petty Officer Martinez is the type of leader that the Navy needs to continue leading the way in the career-counseling field! 5. A very important contribution that PS1(SW) Martinez has made to the success of the ships program is his ability to work together with and support the building of the career development team. In fact, one of his most important qualities has been his ability to earn the confidence and trust of the crew onboard the ship. It is this trait, in addition to all his other abilities, that makes him an effective career counselor. S. J. MARTINEZ

WSPU Founded by Emmeline Pankhurst

As founder of the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903, suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst brought militancy to the British suffrage movement in the early twentieth century. The WSPU became the most contentious of the suffragist groups of that era, with activities ranging from disruptive demonstrations to destruction of property through the use of arson and bombs. Pankhurst and her cohorts served repeated sentences in jail, where they staged hunger strikes. The WSPU was active from 1903 to 1914, when Englands involvement in World War I brought womens suffrage efforts to a halt. Pankhurst's Early Days as an Activist Emmeline Goulden Pankhurst was born in Manchester, England in 1858 to liberal-minded parents who supported both the antislavery and womens suffrage movements. Pankhurst attended her first suffrage meeting with her mother at the age of 14, becoming devoted to the cause of womens suffrage at an early age. Pankhurst found her soul mate in Richard Pankhurst, a radical Manchester attorney twice her age whom she married in 1879. Pankhurst shared his wifes determination to acquire the vote for women; he had even drafted an early version of a womens suffrage bill, which had been rejected by Parliament in 1870. The Pankhursts were active in several local suffrage organizations in Manchester. They moved to London in 1885 to enable Richard Pankhurst to run for Parliament. Although he lost, they stayed in London for four years, during which time they formed the Womens Franchise League. The League disbanded due to internal conflicts and the Pankhursts returned to Manchester in 1892. The Birth of the WSPU Pankhurst suffered the sudden loss of her husband to a perforated ulcer in 1898, becoming a widow at the age of 40. Left with debts and four children to support (her son Francis had died in 1888), Pankhurst took a job as a registrar in Manchester. Employed in a working-class district, she witnessed many instances of gender discrimination—which only strengthened her resolve to obtain equal rights for women. In October 1903, Pankhurst founded the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU), holding the weekly meetings in her Manchester home. Limiting its membership to women only, the suffrage group sought the involvement of working-class women. Pankhursts daughters Christabel and Sylvia helped their mother to manage the organization, as well as to give speeches at rallies. The group published its own newspaper, naming it ​Suffragette after the derogatory nickname given to suffragists by the press. Early supporters of the WSPU included many working-class women, such as mill-worker Annie Kenny and seamstress Hannah Mitchell, both of whom became prominent public speakers for the organization. The WSPU adopted the slogan Votes For Women and selected green, white, and purple as their official colors, symbolizing respectively, hope, purity, and dignity. The slogan and tricolor banner (worn by members as a sash across their blouses) became a common sight at rallies and demonstrations throughout England. Gaining Strength In May 1904, WSPU members crowded the House of Commons to hear discussion on the womens suffrage bill, having been assured in advance by the Labor Party that the bill (drafted years earlier by Richard Pankhurst) would be brought up for debate. Instead, members of Parliament (MPs) staged a talk-out, a strategy intended to run down the clock so that there would be no time left for discussion of the suffrage bill. Infuriated, members of the Union decided they must use more drastic measures. Since demonstrations and rallies were not producing results, although they did help to increase the membership of the WSPU, the Union adopted a new strategy — heckling politicians during speeches. During one such incident in October 1905, Pankhursts daughter Christabel and fellow WSPU member Annie Kenney were arrested and sent to jail for a week. Many more arrests of women protesters—nearly a thousand—would follow before the struggle for the vote was over. In June 1908, the WSPU held the largest-ever political demonstration in Londons history. Hundreds of thousands rallied in Hyde Park as suffragist speakers read resolutions calling for the womens vote. The government accepted the resolutions but refused to act upon them. The WSPU Gets Radical The WSPU employed increasingly militant tactics over the next several years. Emmeline Pankhurst organized a window-smashing campaign throughout Londons commercial districts in March 1912. At the designated hour, 400 women took hammers and began smashing windows simultaneously. Pankhurst, who had broken windows at the prime ministers residence, went to jail along with many of her accomplices. Hundreds of women, including Pankhurst, went on hunger strikes during their numerous imprisonments. Prison officials resorted to violent force-feeding of the women, some of whom actually died from the procedure. Newspaper accounts of such mistreatment helped to generate sympathy for the suffragists. In response to the outcry, Parliament passed the Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act (known informally as the Cat and Mouse Act), which allowed the fasting women to be released just long enough to recover, only to be rearrested. The Union added destruction of property to its growing arsenal of weapons in its battle for the vote. Women vandalized golf courses, railroad cars, and government offices. Some went so far as to set buildings on fire and plant bombs in mailboxes. In 1913, one Union member, Emily Davidson, attracted negative publicity by throwing herself in front of the kings horse during a race at Epsom. She died days later, having never regained consciousness. World War I Intervenes In 1914, Britains involvement in World War I effectively brought about the end of the WSPU and the suffrage movement in general. Pankhurst believed in serving her country in a time of war and declared a truce with the British government. In return, all imprisoned suffragists were released from jail. Women proved themselves capable of performing traditional mens jobs while the men were off at war and seemed to have earned more respect as a result. By 1916, the fight for the vote was over. Parliament passed the Representation of the People Act, granting the vote to all women over 30. The vote was granted to all women over 21 years of age in 1928, only weeks after the death of Emmeline Pankhurst.