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GENDER AND MENTAL ILLNESS. RECENT CHANGES. VAST CHANGE IN SOCIAL ROLES 2/3 OF MARRIED WOMEN WORK 60% OF WOMEN WITH SMALL CHILDREN WORK (19% IN 1960) TWO INCOME FAMILIES NORMAL. QUESTIONS. DO WOMEN OR MEN HAVE MORE MENTAL ILLNESS? DO MEN AND WOMEN HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF M.I.?
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RECENT CHANGES • VAST CHANGE IN SOCIAL ROLES • 2/3 OF MARRIED WOMEN WORK • 60% OF WOMEN WITH SMALL CHILDREN WORK (19% IN 1960) • TWO INCOME FAMILIES NORMAL
QUESTIONS • DO WOMEN OR MEN HAVE MORE MENTAL ILLNESS? • DO MEN AND WOMEN HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES OF M.I.? • HOW IS GENDER RELATED TO THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS?
GENDER • BOTH BIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY FOCUS ON GENDER AS CONSTANT PROPERTY OF INDIVIDUALS • BIOLOGY - PHYSIOLOGY, HORMONES, REPRODUCTION, ETC. • PSYCHOLOGY - DIFFERENCES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS
SOCIOLOGICAL • DISTRESS ARISES OUT OF ROLES NOT PSYCHOLOGY OR BIOLOGY • POWER, RESOURCES, AUTONOMY ASSOCIATED WITH MALE ROLES • OPPOSITE WITH FEMALE ROLES
SOCIAL ROLES • WOMEN IN TRADITIONALLY MALE ROLES HAVE LESS DISTRESS • MEN IN TRADITIONALLY FEMALE ROLES HAVE MORE DISTRESS • MEN AND WOMEN IN SAME ROLES WILL HAVE SAME DISTRESS
CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS • NOT JUST ROLES BUT EXPECTATIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN ROLES • UNEMPLOYED MAN VS. HOUSEWIFE • POWERFUL MAN VS. WOMAN • DISTRESS FROM COMBINATION OF ROLES + EXPECTATIONS
SOCIAL ROLES (GOVE) • RATES OF M.I. HISTORICALLY SPECIFIC NOT UNIVERSAL - CHANGE OVER TIME AS ROLES CHANGE • BEFORE WWII - WOMEN’S ROLES VALUED • RELATIVELY EQUAL RATES OF M.I. • AFTER WWII - HOUSEWIVE ROLE
AFTER WWII • HOUSEWIVE ROLE IS FRUSTRATING, UNDEMANDING, UNREWARDED • WORKING WOMEN FACE ROLE OVERLOAD AND DISCRIMINATION • UNCLEAR EXPECTATIONS
PREDICTIONS • MARRIED WOMEN HAVE MORE DISTRESS THAN MARRIED MEN • SINGLE MEN AND WOMEN EQUAL
MARRIAGE AND DISTRESS • SINGLE MEN AND WOMEN EQUAL • MARRIED MEN < MARRIED WOMEN • IMPORTANCE OF ROLES
DISTRESS, WORK AND MARRIAGE • HOUSEWIVES > DISTRESS THAN WORKING WOMEN • WORKING WOMEN > WORKING MEN • ROLE OVERLOAD • UNEMPLOYED MEN WORST
ROLES ARE IMPORTANT • SAME ROLES, SAME DISTRESS - E.G. SINGLE PEOPLE • MALE ROLESHAVE LESS DISTRESS - EMPLOYMENT, RESOURCES, LESS OVERLOAD • FEMALE ROLES HAVE MORE DISTRESS - NO JOBS, LOWER EARNINGS, MORE OVERLOAD
OPTIMAL MENTAL HEALTH • WOMEN WHO WORK AND HAVE HUSBANDS WHO DO EQUAL SHARE OF CHILD CARE AND HOUSEWORK • JUSTIFYING IDEOLOGIES
CHANGES OVER TIME • WOMEN > MEN • DIFFERENCES SMALLER NOW • BECAUSE MEN RISING MORE RAPIDLY • WHY?
CHANGES OVER TIME • 1960’S - HUSBANDS WITH WORKING WIVES HAVE MORE DISTRESS • NO LONGER TRUE • 1990’S - HUSBANDS WITH WIVES EARNING MORE THAN THEY DO HAVE MORE DISTRESS (NOW TRUE IN 1/3 OF FAMILIES)
LIMITS OF SOCIAL ROLE THEORY • VERY OVERSIMPLIFIED • NO SEX DIFFERENCES IN PSYCHOSES • STUDIES BIASED BECAUSE ONLY USE FEMALE TYPES OF MENTAL ILLNESS - USUALLY DISTRESS/DEPRESSION
TYPES OF ILLNESS • WOMEN = 2/3 OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, DISTRESS, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS • MEN = 2/3 OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG PROBLEMS, 4X SUICIDES • MEN ALSO 5X VIOLENCE, 2X CAR ACCIDENTS • OVERALL RATES EQUAL
REASONS • CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS ABOUT GENDER ROLES • WOMEN INTERNALIZE • WOMEN EXPECTED NOT TO EXTERNALIZE • MEN EXTERNALIZE • MEN EXPECTED NOT TO INTERNALIZE
IMPLICATIONS • MAKES MANY STUDIES OF SEX DIFFERENCES IN DISTRESS HARD TO INTERPRET • SHOULD USE MULTIPLE OUTCOMES TYPICAL OF EACH SEX