Volume 06 Issue 09 September 2023
1Dorothy Forsac-Tata, 2Lisette Sui
1,2Department of Woman and Gender Studies, University of Buea, Cameroon
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i9-15Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
Women’s health is not only critical for women but for their families and communities at large. The importance of and focus on women’s health is reflected on the different national and international development agendas. However, the social construction of gender and the eventual development of gender stereotypes directly and/or indirectly affects the health of women. This paper focuses on gender stereotypes and women’s health in the Buea Municipality of the South West Region of Cameroon. Through a stratified convenient sampling prsscedure to select 108 women, the paper uses the Harvard Analytical Framework and Leveque’s Conceptual Framework of Access to Health to interrogate the theme and with the help of a questionnaire. Different gender stereotypes were identified that put the woman as responsible for care and family well-being no matter her condition. This proved to affect their health through stress, ill health, self-medication, mental health challenges etc.
KEYWORDSGender stereotype, health, effects, women’s health
REFERENCES
1) Burcu, D. O. (2015). Shattered health for women: How Gender Roles Affect Health and Socio-economic Status Nexus over Life Cycle. Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies, electronic journal, 17 Middle East Economic Association and Loyola University Chicago.
2) Gleitman, H., Fridlund, A. J. &Reisberg, D. (2000). Basic Psychology New York: Norton
3) Heiman, M. E. (2012). Gender stereotypes and workplace bias. www.sciencedirect.com
4) Hentschel T, Heilman M. E., and Peus C. V. (2019) The Multiple Dimensions of Gender Stereotypes: A Current Look at Men’s and Women’s Characterizations of Others and Themselves. Front. Psychol. 10:11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00011
5) Hoeritz, K. (2013). Stereotypes and Their Consequences for Women as Leaders in Higher Education Administration (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/654
6) Kite, M. E., Deaux, K., & Haines, E. L. (2008). Gender stereotypes. In F. L. Denmark & M. A. Paludi (Eds.), Psychology of women: A handbook of issues and theories (pp. 205–236). Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
7) Koenig, A. M. & Eagly, A. (2014). Evidence for the social role of stereotype content: observations of groups’ roles shape stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Doi 10.1037/a0037215
8) Levesque J. F, Harris M. F & Russell G. (2013). Patient-centered access to health care: conceptualising access at the interface of health systems and populations. Int J Equity Health 12, 18 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-18
9) Lindsay, L. L. (2016). Gender Roles. USA: Routledge
10) MacNaughton, G. (2000). Rethinking gender in early childhood education. SAGE Publications Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446222355
11) Muhammad Hussain1, Arab Naz1, Waseem Khan1,Umar Daraz1, and Qaisar Khan (2015). Gender Stereotyping in Family: AnInstitutionalized and NormativeMechanism in Pakhtun Society of Pakistan. AGE OpenJuly-September 2015: 1–11© The Author(s) 2015DOI: 10.1177/2158244015595258sgo.sagepub.com
12) Namasivayam A, Osuorah DC, Syed R, Antai D. The role of gender inequities in women's access to reproductive health care: a population-level study of Namibia, Kenya, Nepal, and India. Int J Womens Health. 2012;4:351-64. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S32569. Epub 2012 Jul 27. PMID: 22927766; PMCID: PMC3422107.
13) O’Cornnell, C. & Zampas, C. (2018). The human rights impact of gender stereotyping in the context of reproductive health care. International journal of gynaecology and Obstetrics. Doi 10.1002/ijgo.12693
14) Richard A. Lippa, Kathleen Preston & John Penner (2014). Women's Representation in 60 Occupations from 1972 to 2010: More Women in High-Status Jobs, Few Women in Things-Oriented Jobs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095960
15) Rudman, L. A. & Phelan, J. E. (2008). Backlash effects for disconfirming gender stereotypes in organizational behaviour Volume 28 pages 61-79. Doi. 10.1016/j-riob.2008.04.003
16) Stangor, C. (2016). The study of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination within social psychology: A quick history of theory and research. In T. D. Nelson (Ed.), Handbook of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination (pp. 3–27). Psychology Press.
17) UN Women (2020) Universal Health Coverage, Gender Equality and Social Protections: A Health System Approach. www.unwomen.org
18) Villines Z., (2021). What to know about gender bias in healthcare? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gender-bias-in-healthcare
19) Williams, S. Seed, J. & Mwau, A. (2007). The Oxfam Training Manual. UK: Oxfam
20) Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2015). Two traditions of research on gender identity. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 73(11-12), 461–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0480-2
21) World Health Organization (2021). Gender and Health. Geneva: WHO
22) www.apa.org/topics/gender-stereotypes
23) www.aho.fact-sheets)
24) Zubia M; Sarah S; Muneeba W; & Nighat U (2003) Gender based barriers to primary healthcare provision in Pakistan: the experience of female providers. Doi:10.1093/heapol/czg032. Pp 261-269.