Chapter 12: Gender, Age, and Health

In what ways to men and women differ? Some of the ways would be based off of biological features. However there are others ways that women and men differ mainly by the way each gender treats the other gender. Men have a tendency to treat women as lesser human beings because they are women.

Gender comprises the behavioral and psychological traits considered appropriate for men and women. The specific behaviors and attitudes that a society establishes for men and women are called gender roles. Gender identity is the awareness of being masculine or feminine as those traits are defined by culture. Most societies follow a division of labor similar to the one mentioned previously. Individuals learn appropriate gender-role behavior through socialization. In time, the power relationship between men and women developed into a patriarchy. Sexism is the belief that one sex is by nature superior to the other. In America, there was a women's movement which held that the sexes were socially, politically, and economically equal. The most important reform during the women's movement was suffrage or the right to vote. During this movement, women wanted the chance to get a higher education. The wage gap is the level of woman's income relative to that of men, which changed very little. The glass ceiling is the invisible barrier that prevents women from gaining upper-level positions in business. Working wives work a second shift which consists of working in the house as mother, cleaner, etc. There is also a political gender gap in the United States, women vote more but men dominate the political arena. 

Agism is the belief that one age category is by nature superior to another age category. By the year 2050, one in every five Americans will be elderly, this phenomenon is referred to by sociologists as the “graying of America”. During the 1960's, approximately 76 million children were born during this time period known as he baby-boom generation. Dependency ratio is the number of workers for each person receiving Social Security benefits. Medicare is the government-sponsored health-insurance plan for elderly Americans and Americans wit disabilities. Medicaid is the state and federally funded health-insurance program for low-income individuals. Some people claim that government transfer payments like Social Security have made older Americans financially secure at the expense of younger generations. In addition to dealing with their health problems, Americans with disabilities have to deal with prejudice and discrimination. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 has the potential to bring the most sweeping changes in the lives of people with disabilities. It helps people with disabilities in the areas of employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications.

The United States spends a higher percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care than any other country in the world. Advances in medical technology have also affected health-care costs. One popular method of controlling health expenditures is the use of alternative health-insurance plans called managed care. In spite of the oversupply of doctors, access to health car is a problem for many Americans. One of the major factors affecting access to health care is the distribution of physicians, both geographically and within the medical profession. Poor people are less likely than wealthy Americas to receive adequate medical care. The majority of medical costs in the United States are covered by private or public insurance. Critics note that the Medicare-Medicaid system has created very uneven health-care delivery. Alternative medicine includes treating illness with unconventional methods such as acupuncture, acupressure, biofeedback, massage, medication, yoga, herbal remedies, and relaxation techniques, which has interested Americans. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease that attacks the immune system, leaving a person vulnerable to a host of deadly infections. Many AIDS activists claim the the United States government has not responded adequately to the AIDS crisis. However, the United States government has made major efforts to combat this disease in recent years.
Diseases can be spread really easily, but now with advancing technology, they are being eliminated just as fast. Gender inequality has gotten better in the past years. And Americans have given more opportunities to women. Age has also become a big way of receiving benefits in the USA.