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The Man Box (Jesuit Social Services, 2018) outlines how self-sufficiency, acting tough, physical attractiveness, rigid masculinity, gendered roles, hypersexuality, heterosexuality,  homophobia, aggression and control are valued by men.

The image  above reflects a campaign by the United Nations (2021), it acknowledges male aggression. It suggests men should fight female gender-based violence instead.

Sadly, this rigid thinking, and risk factors mentioned below make men vulnerable to suicide.

Suicide risk factors are:
♂ challenges of mid-life
♂  personality traits
♂ emotional illiteracy
♂ relationship breakdown
♂ socio-economic factors
♂ those in the lowest social class are most at risk
(Samaritans, 2012)

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♀ Young women and girls are expected to wear skirts in school (Falvey, 2020). Described as ritualised 'girling', this upholds gender norms and gendered performance (Hapel, 2013).

Social media also influences negative body image for girls.
♀ 9 out 10 teenage girls are unhappy with their body image (Royal Society for Public Health, 2007).
♀ A women’s worth is based on how she looks and more so than a man.

While men are more obese or overweight (McCárthaigh, 2021), more women are trying to lose weight.

Of those trying to lose weight:
♀ 41% are women
♂ 30%  are men
(Healthy Ireland Survey, 2021).

♀ Women are harmed by online bullying and revenge porn.

♀ One in three women and one in four men are victims of sexual violence in Ireland (RCNI, 2020). Sexual violence is a gendered crime, predominantly perpetrated by boys/men against girls/women.

The video (attached) from Women Not Objects (2016) went viral. It encapsulates the emphasis placed on women to present themselves as objects. This causes physical, sexual, social and emotional harm.

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#IStandUp Against the Harm Caused By Objectification of Women in Advertising

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Show your support by posting your own #IStandUp video. Film yourself standing up with the caption: #IStandUp against the objectification of women and the harm it causes. #WomenNotObjects Then tag your friends to stand up too. http://womennotobjects.com/ Twitter: @Not_Objects Instagram: @WomenNotObjects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womennotobjects

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This video illustrates how women experience the gender health gap (Demystifying Medicine McMaster, 2022).

♀ Women’s health research was historically limited to their reproductive capacity.

♀ More likely to experience side effects from drugs as drug trials were conducted on men.

♀ Differential care for women exists; pain for example is not treated as aggressively compared to men.

♀ Issues presented are often treated as psychological.

♀ A disproportionate amount of women are affected by domestic violence and sexual assault (RCNI, 2020).
♀ Ireland had oppressive abortion laws which violated human rights and dignity, forcing women to travel overseas for healthcare (Amnesty International Ireland, 2016).

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Closing the Gap: Addressing Gender Inequities in Healthcare

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Amnesty International Ireland. (2016, June 9). Ireland’s ban on abortion violates human rights – ground-breaking UN ruling. Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/06/irelands-ban-on-abortion-violates-human-rights/

Bettinsoli, M. L., Suppes, A., & Napier, J. L. (2019). Predictors of Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbian Women in 23 Countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(5), 194855061988778. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619887785

Brennan, S. (2020, October 28). Medical gaslighting: The women not listened to or viewed as overdramatising or catastrophising. The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/medical-gaslighting-the-women-not-listened-to-or-viewed-as-overdramatising-or-catastrophising-1.4386203

Central Statistics Office (CSO). (2017). Health - CSO - Central Statistics Office. Www.cso.ie. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-wamii/womenandmeninireland2019/health/

Costello, N., Ward, M., O’Mahoney, P., & Kenny, R. A. (2021). In Their Own Words: The Voices of Older Irish People in the COVID-19 Pandemic. TILDA. https://doi.org/10.38018/tildare.2021-04

Donnelly, K. (2021, April 4). Teachers “fear for job prospects if they reveal LGBT identity.” Independent. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/education/teachers-fear-for-job-prospects-if-they-reveal-lgbt-identity-40286877.html

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Demystifying Medicine McMaster. (2022, August 17). Closing the Gap: Addressing Gender Inequities in Healthcare. www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/Z5IPshBl06Y

Department of Health Australia. (2022, May 23). Healthy Male. www.youtube.com; Healthy Male. https://youtu.be/l3RwvTwelFo

Economic and Social Research Institute. (2020, November 4). Prof Helen Russell - Gender Pay Gap: Causes and Solutions. www.youtube.com; The Economic and Social Research Institute. https://youtu.be/RgoXLCDfvP0

Falvey, D. (2020, September 12). Why do we force girls to wear skirts to school? The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/why-do-we-force-girls-to-wear-skirts-to-school-1.4343921

Happel, A. (2013). Ritualized girling: school uniforms and the compulsory performance of gender. Journal of Gender Studies, 22(1), 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2012.745680

Health Service Executive. (2022, June 14). Men’s Health Week 2022. HSE.ie. https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/mental-health-services/connecting-for-life/news/men-s-health-week-2022.html

Healthy Ireland. (2021). Healthy Ireland Survey 2021 Summary Report. Health Service Executive.

Holland, K. (2018, June 17). “Why are young mothers taking their own lives?” The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/why-are-young-mothers-taking-their-own-lives-1.3533996

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Institute of Public Health. (2021). Men’s Health – encouraging men to check back in to a healthier future. Institute of Public Health. https://publichealth.ie/mens-health-encouraging-men-to-check-back-in-to-a-healthier-future/

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Jesuit Social Services. (2018). Unpacking the man box. The Men’s Project.

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Kerrigan, D., & Bryant, J. (2016). How sex and gender influence health and disease. In National Institute of Health. https://orwh.od.nih.gov/sites/orwh/files/docs/SexGenderInfographic_11x17_508.pdf

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Mayer, D. M. (2018, October 8). How Men Get Penalized for Straying from Masculine Norms. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-men-get-penalized-for-straying-from-masculine-norms

McCárthaigh, S. (2021, July 22). Ireland has second highest obesity rate in EU, survey finds. The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/ireland-has-second-highest-obesity-rate-in-eu-survey-finds-1.4627783

Mullan, E. (2022). Sociology of Health Lecture Notes. SETU

Nadim, M., & Fladmoe, A. (2019). Silencing Women? Gender and Online Harassment. Social Science Computer Review, 39(2), 089443931986551. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439319865518

One Family. (2020). Facts & Figures – One Family Ireland. Onefamily.ie; One Family. https://onefamily.ie/media-policy/facts-figures/

Rape Crisis Network Ireland. (2020). RCNI Rape Crisis Statistics. In Rape Crisis Network Ireland. Rape Crisis Network Ireland. https://www.rcni.ie/wp-content/uploads/RCNI-Rape-Crisis-Statistics-2020-FINAL.pdf

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Royal Society for Public Health. (2007). Social media and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Royal Society for Public Health.

Irish Business Employeers Confederation. (2020). Binge drinking - Drinks Ireland. IBEC. https://www.ibec.ie/drinksireland/news-insights-and-events/insights/2021/02/25/binge-drinking

Samaritans. (2012). Men and Suicide: Why it’s a social issue. In Samaritans. Samaritans. https://www.samaritans.org/documents/16/men-suicide-society-samaritans-2012.pdf

Scomparin, A. (2019, March 25). HR Life: gender stereotypes in the business - Interlogica. Interlogica. https://www.interlogica.it/en/insight-en/gender-stereotypes/

United Nations. (2021). International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/observances/ending-violence-against-women-day

Ward, S. (1995, October 10). Service chiefs tell judges gay ban must stay. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/service-chiefs-tell-judges-gay-ban-must-stay-1577000.html

Women Not Objects. (2016, March 18). #IStandUp Against the Harm Caused By Objectification of Women in Advertising. www.youtube.com; Women Not Objects. https://youtu.be/1O4ycTml7fk

Women's Health Research at Yale. (2012, April 9). Do Gender Differences Matter in Health Outcomes? www.youtube.com; Women’s Health Research at Yale. https://youtu.be/r0CCS5mLvEQ

World Health Organization. (2019). Gender and health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1

World Health Organization. (1986, November 21). The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. First International Conference on Health Promotion

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♀ 86.4% of one parent families are headed by a mother.
♂ 13.6% by a father (OneFamily, 2020).

These households experience significant deprivation and poverty. Those living in households with one adult have the highest deprivation rate in 2021, at 44.9%. This is up from 44.1% in 2020.

♀ Young mothers are especially vulnerable to suicide ; young mothers with children with backgrounds marked by poverty, early school leaving, homelessness, adverse childhood experiences and substance misuse are taking their lives in the same numbers as men (Holland, 2018).

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This video from the ERSI discusses the pay gap. It covers individual differences, discrimination for women and especially mothers; low pay for female-dominated roles, glass ceilings and sticky floors.

♀  Women experience greater financial inequality.

♀ Experience a gender pay gap with less cash and resources.

♀ Have expectation to be a carer and excluded from key networks and training.

♀ Cultural norms and roles create multiple expectations.

♀ Lack confidence in putting themselves forward for leadership roles as this is seen as a 'male' trait.

To address this inequity and inequality it will require employers and government to address structural and systematic discrimination.

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Prof Helen Russell - Gender Pay Gap: Causes and Solutions

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Men take more health risks and adopt unhealthy behaviours, i.e., smoking and binge drinking.
♂ ♀ Following the Covid-19 pandemic there has been some reduction in alcohol consumption by both sexes, however, it still remains high and binge drinking continues (Healthy Ireland, 2021).

Alcohol consumption and binge drinking.
♀ 19% of women and ♂ 54% men binge drink.
♂ Highest among younger men however, over half of men continue to binge drink later in life (IBEC, 2020).

Men are more likely to be:
♂ Obese or overweight (McCárthaigh, 2021).
♂ Less likely to engage with healthcare services in Ireland.

♂ In 2019, 68% of men in Ireland had visited a GP compared with 82% of women (Institute of Public Health, 2021).

♂ TILDA research during the Covid-19 pandemic found more than one in four older men in Ireland delayed medical treatment more so than women (Costello, et al., 2021).

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♂  Men seek to represent 'masculinity' and avoid 'femininity'. Alcohol, including binge drinking, is used to assert masculinity and 'fit in'.
♂  Gay men face more negative attitudes and hostility compared to women who are lesbian (Bettinsoli et al., 2019).
♂ Men who show vulnerability, femininity, express sadness, kindness and empathy can expect to be punished or viewed less favourably in work (Mayer, 2018).
♂ Being gay was considered a threat to morale and discipline and grounds for employment dismissal in the United Kingdom (Ward, 1995). In Ireland concerns about being 'out' still persist (Donnelly, 2021).
♂ Men practice unsafe sex more than women.

♂ Men are reluctant to access healthcare;  perceive healthcare as feminine, lack information and worry about identity loss.

In conclusion, men who do not 'do' gender correctly face bullying, violence and isolation. However, conforming to gender expectations brings other health risks.

The video by the Department of Health Australia (2022) above challenges these barriers. Similar strategies are adopted here in Ireland (HSE, 2022).

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Genetics, hormones, and physiology influence health for both sexes. The infographic from Kerrigan and Byrant (2016) shows:

♀ Women have increased likelihood of osteoporosis, depression and autoimmune diseases.
♀ Twice as likely to experience depression and get the wrong diagnosis for cardiovascular issues.

♂ Men have a high risk of coronary heart disease, parkinson’s, autism and schizophrenia.

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This video explains how research into Women's Health Research at Yale (2019) is relevant.

♀ Women face specific biological health risks, i.e., for women who smoke, they are more likely to develop disease and find it harder to quit than men.
♀ Women cite concerns of gaining weight and being more stressed as significant barriers to quitting.

This links to the social and cultural pressure women endure, which is discussed in this padlet.

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Do Gender Differences Matter in Health Outcomes?

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♀♂ A social construct which is hierarchical and produces inequalities (WHO, 2019). This padlet depicts how gender intersects and impacts on the health of women and men in Ireland. Gender is reinforced, and this is supported by evidence provided.
Health promotion and public health workers following the Ottawa Charter (World Health Organisation, 1986) should understand there is a continued need to advocate and enable reform. We all need to address these structural and systematic inequalities. Public health relies on it.

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♀ Women lack decision-making power and experience discriminatory attitudes from healthcare providers (WHO, 2019).
♀ Women experience medical gaslighting; where reports of ill health are not taken seriously (Brennan, 2020).
♀ Women are framed to be inferior, sicker and more in need of treatment.

Healthcare practitioners are often not aware of their own implicit biases and this leads to differential treatment and responses. Consequently, this leads to severe health outcomes for women.

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Both sexes experience health differently

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Both sexes experience health differently

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The life expectancy for men in Ireland in years is:
♂ Men 80.4
♀ Women 84
(Central Statistics Office, 2017).

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There are assumed stereotypes for women and men. This infographic from a human resource website illustrates these stereotypes (Scomparin, 2019).