What is the feminist perspective of health and illness?

Answer 1

Feminists blame inequalities on the men. This is because they believe in explaining inequalities between the sexes. Feminists see major social divisions in society between men and women. Feminists might suggest the following factors in health in equalities:

• The medical system is dominated by men, so health care tends to be headed towards looking after men’s health, men are getting better care.
  
• Health promotions may have done a better job at promoting male problems like testicular cancer rather than female problems such as Breast cancer.
  
• Women experience discrimination in the health care system. For example, GP’s are more likely to prescribe pills and drugs for woman instead of actual psychological treatment; this means the problem is likely to reoccur. Also, women get ill more than men because they are discriminated in things such as the work place.
  
• Women get paid less than men, even when doing the same job which leads to stress and illness.
  
• Also related; women take on more dual-roles such as work and them child care or house work at home etc. this makes women more tires and vulnerable to illness.
  
• Lastly, women are more likely to suffer abuse of all kinds, especially sexual abuse. This can lead women to have more psychological problems than men.