Differences between genders often become the basis for discussion of many sociological issues. Mental health problems are studies from this perspective as well. Many researchers investigate the types of problems that women and men have in their life experiences. One of the themes that sociologists are interested in is the idea of gender disparity in upbringing and its effect on one’s mental health. By producing gender differences, definitions of masculinity and femininity may significantly affect one’s psychological state and affect one’s mental health.
DEFINITIONS AND DISORDERS
Definitions that people create for themselves in order to create a form of understanding for any pattern or object often shape one’s experience …show more content…
For instance, Rogers and Pilgrim (2014) write that the concept of gender bias may affect one’s perception of mental health and significantly influence one’s understanding of it. In fact, the authors argue that over-representation of females in research affects both women and men, influencing the diagnoses for people of both genders. Thus, some diagnoses may be attributed to men more often than to women, while others are predominantly associated with female individuals. For instance, Rogers and Pilgrim (2014) highlight that such diagnoses as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are overwhelmingly female. In fact, these two diagnoses may be connected to the modern society’s definition of femininity. The visual representation of femininity becomes a unique stressor that affects women’s mental health.
CONCLUSION
The notion that femininity and masculinity as concepts may significantly affect one’s understanding of mental health is supported by various evidence. While various studies cannot confirm the idea of gender disparity in people’s response to emotional stressors, diagnoses stay gendered in many situations. Thus, it is possible to assume that individual’s behavior may be affected by these concepts on personal and societal levels. Mental health of people of both genders is influenced by their upbringing as well as the ideas of individuals that surround