Gender, Age, and Health

1. Gender, Age, and Health Preview Section 1: Gender Section 2: Age and Disability Section 3: Health Chapter Wrap-Up

2. Read to Discover How do gender roles affect the opportunities available to men and women in society? How are gender roles affected by socialization? Section 1: Gender

3. Section 1: Gender Traditional American Gender Roles • Female: child care, domestic duties, cooking, housecleaning, the color pink, pastel colors, dolls, frills, polite, gentle, passive, reading, social sciences, arts • Male: economic support, physical safety of the family, the color blue, primary colors, clean lines, adventuresome, aggressive, physically active, science, math

4. Section 1: Gender Question How do gender roles and the self-fulfilling prophecy affect women?

5. Section 1: Gender Gender Roles and Socialization In virtually all societies, gender socialization begins at birth and continues throughout life. Children learn American gender-role behaviors through socialization, such as in the family or at school.

6. Section 1: Gender Gender Roles and Opportunities Education—still gender distinctions in degree majors, fewer women pursuing doctoral or professional degrees, and less funding for women’s college athletics Employment—still a wage gap and a glass ceiling for women Politics—underrepresented in politics

7. People who see women as incapable of holding positions of power make choices based on this belief. Men who see women as inferior oppose women entering powerful positions. Women who accept an inferior role do not pursue traditionally male roles. Thus, not enough women are in positions of power to push for greater access. The fact that few women hold positions of power is used to justify the opinion that women must be incapable of holding such positions. Section 1: Gender The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Sexism

8. Section 2: Age and Disability Read to Discover • What effect is the aging of the population having on society? • How is the aging of the population affecting the life chances of older Americans?

9. Section 2: Age and Disability Question How is the aging of the population affecting American society?

10. Effects of an Aging Population on American Society Economic Effects Political Effects Section 2: Age and Disability Rising cost of health care; cost of Social Security; burden to family and younger workers; living longer in retirement Becoming a stronger force; organized voting bloc (AARP, etc.) focuses on health care, retirement, and Social Security

11. Section 2: Age and Disability Life Chances of Older Americans • Some people claim that government transfer payments like Social Security have made older Americans financially secure at the expense of younger generations. • Older Americans have to deal with poverty, disabilities, illness, prejudice, and discrimination. • Older Americans have become a political force and a topic of debate, thus bringing greater attention to Social Security and Medicare.

12. Section 3: Health Read to Discover • What is the state of health care in the United States? • What are some of the special health-care concerns of various segments of American society?

13. Section 3: Health Cost of Health Care—concern over the rapid rise in health care costs Quality of Health Care—some believe that managed care has decreased the quality of health care Access to Health Care—distribution of physicians, both geographically and within the medical profession, has limited accessibility to health care

14. Section 3: Health Question What are the special health-care concerns of various segments of American society?

15. Section 3: Health Segment of Society Special Health-Care Concerns often not insured; difficulty accessing and paying for care; cannot afford prescription drugs; few doctors in poor communities Poor need more care than general population; often poor or on strict budgets; sometimes refused coverage due to pre-existing conditions Elderly need constant care in advanced stages; sometimes refused care by caregivers because of fear of infection; often not covered by insurance AIDS Sufferers People with Chronic Illnesses often refused insurance coverage due to pre-existing conditions; life-long care of illness is often extremely expensive

16. Section 3: Health Health Insurance—unequal health care exists between public and private insurance programs Alternative Medicine—there are few scientific studies on the effectiveness or safety of alternative treatments AIDS—developed into one of the most serious public-health problems in the U.S. and around the world in just two decades

17. Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding Main Ideas • Explain how the wage gap and the glass ceiling can be used to illustrate gender inequality. • How has the second shift helped to create a “leisure gap” between men and women? • How are gender roles and gender identity related to the experiences of boys and girls? • How has the aging of the population affected American society? • What effects has the aging of the population had on the opportunities in life available to elderly people? • What health-care issues are causing concern among Americans? • What is AIDS, and why is it considered such a pressing medical issue?