S0593707
Task 2- Sociology
Assignment 2
Gender Inequalities and Health Inequalities
In this essay I will be analysing the main forms of gender inequality, evaluating the major explanations for these forms, analysing the distribution of health chances and evaluating the major sociological explanations for these chances. Sources from this essay will be from documentaries, webpages, articles and textbooks.
The Cambridge dictionary states the official meaning of gender is: ‘the physical and/or social condition of being male or female’, therefore meaning that it is the social appearances of women and men – such as norms, roles and relationships of and between groups of women and men. Gender is not biologically fixed at all, but …show more content…
Such as boys will be given the colour blue, to symbolise masculinity and pink to symbolise femininity. (Livescience.com). Which then progresses through to the home life of the child with toys specifically tailored for a specific gender. It could be argued that it is an interactionalist approach because it is giving women a self-fulling prophecy. Gender identity has also had a hugely profound affect on feelings about our personal appearance and our body image, especially for females. Feminists have very strong views on gender identity such as liberal feminism argue that gender inequality results from past traditions that pose barriers to women’s advancements.(Gilman,1998). Radical feminism are strong believers in that is male dominance and that men have huge control over woman’s bodies, to which is why they think woman are oppressed.(Feminismandreligion.com). Marxist feminists believes that woman are a cheap socialist supply of labour, they are exploited by capitalism.(Marxist.com). These inequalities are present in employment, education, the home, the media, relationships. Feminists therefore seek to expose these inequalities and challenge the …show more content…
Leading from this produced many unanswered questions as to why the life expectancy was so dramatically different. Many parts of Glasgow are lacking jobs, therefore unemployment is soaring high and little jobs that are available, therefore people are having to claim benefit, which can entail cause mental health illnesses, due to low self-esteem and self-worth. Scotland's health minister Alex Neil accused Margaret Thatcher of driving the Scots to drink and drugs by destroying heavy industry back in the 1980s. (BBC News, 2014). The cycle of poverty meaning poverty begets poverty. Poverty increases your chance of getting ill because of: Poor nutrition, overcrowding, lack of clean water and the harsh realities that may make putting your health at risk the only way to survive or keep your family safe.