MEDICINE | How gender affects your health

When investment becomes the topic of a discussion, people talk about stocks, time deposits, businesses, bonds, social entrepreneurship, startups, among others. But what about your health? Do gender roles affect the way you deal with your health?

You might have landed on this page probably because you're interested in how gender affects the quality of life of Filipinos - with primary focus on health. Or probably you are reading this post because you wanted to answer some questions in mind. Does gender matter when it comes to making important health decisions?

But wait, you might just be asking yourself, what is the difference between gender and sex? Ano ang pinagkaiba ng dalawa? Bakit mahalagang malaman kung paano naaapektuhan ng dikta ng lipunan ang desisyon ng isang tao na magpagamot?

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Let's define terms first. Sex (or kasarian) is the state of being male or female. Ibig sabihin, tinutukoy nito ang pisikal o biological na pagkakaiba ng lalaki at babae. So when we talk about sex (no, not intercourse or pagtatalik haha), we mean chromosomes (XX ka ba o XY), hormone profiles (testosterone and estrogen effects, mens/regla, pagbubuntis), and internal and external organs (having a vagina or a penis).

Meanwhile, gender is  a social construct; it refers to characteristics or attributes that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine (Monash University).

Ito ay tumutukoy sa mga katangian ng isang lalaki o babae ayon sa lipunan at kultura. Saklaw nito ang mga expectations, katungkulan, katangian, pag-uugali,  obligasyon, oportunidad na ipinapataw sa isang babae o lalaki sa isang particular na lipunan o panahon.

In general, a "real" man may be defined as a male possessing masculine qualities and engaging in risky behaviors, while a "real" woman has to be female with feminine qualities.

Do you now understand the difference between the two? Let's  see; take the test below. Which statement refers to sex? Which refers to gender? To know the answer, just highlight the last part of each bullet to see the hidden answer.

1. Females give birth, while males don't. SEXXXX
2. Sexual intercourse is not that important to females than to males. GENDER
3. In ancient Egypt, men do the chores while women manage the business. Babae ang mga nagmamana, hindi mga lalaki. GENDER
4. Females experience premenstrual tension, while male don't. SEXXXX
5. More women are raped than men. GENDER

Because gender is dictated by culture or society, the roles and expectations imposed on each gender may be unfair; however, these can be changed. Examples of unfair social construct are 

1. courting socially accepted as exclusively done by men (which is unfair for both sexes because those who don't court may be tagged as "torpe" and women wouldn't have a choice to assert themselves), 
2. men as heavy drinkers (which is why alcohol-related diseases are more imminent in men than in women), 
3. adultery (when men commit it, they're accepted as "malakas" or strong, but when women do it, they're labelled "slut" or "kabit"),
4. jobs (men who do secretariat jobs are laughed upon by male colleagues)

Now, how does it affect the health of Filipinos (and every single person in the world)? Here are examples of situations where gender influences the way people decide for their health.

1. The association of HIV with homosexuality causes some straight men (including drug abusers) to not seek consult.
2. Some homosexuals who'd like to check whether they've contracted HIV fear being judged by their physicians, hence, the delay in consultation.
3. The way society dictates men to drive fast and recklessly (plus the tagay culture) leads to an increased risk for vehicular accidents.
4. Men are expected to be strong so little pain felt and other physical issues are sometimes not a big deal for them. 
5. Some people tend to overlook friends' problems (probably because he/she is an outcast, has become depressed, or has behavioral changes) which may lead to increased helplessness and further risk of suicidal tendencies.

What can be done to at least lower the influence of these expectations on a person's decision to get checked up? Probably, one of the best things to do is to respect a person's dignity. You know, everyone is unique. One can do things that others can't. We don't know what other people are going through - why they had to resort to prostitution, for example.

Protecting anyone's health is gender neutral. If certain social constructs limit the way people take care of their health, then encouragement is the key and prejudice be given a minute place in this world.