Midterm Essay On Social Construction Gender And Health

Midterm Essays

Essay 1: Social Construction, Gender and Health A social construction is a conception that is formed by people and their interactions in both a small scale, such as with another person, or a large one, such as with society. Humans have worked to create the social constructions around them, and these social constructions can be different among different groups of people. Gender, for example, is a social construction. While a person’s sex may be determined biologically, gender is something that a person does and is a result of the summation of his or her actions and decisions (ESR 1987 West and Zimmerman; 175). Humans have created these gender roles for people to fulfill, which can affect other aspects of a person’s life, such as his or her health.

For example, in “Smile or Die,” Ehrenreich discusses how because breast cancer is stigmatized as a woman’s disease, there is an expectation for women to focus on maintaining a healthy and beautiful appearance throughout the entire process despite having to go through chemotherapy (2010; 31). Companies will give makeup and jewelry to those afflicted and women might undergo reconstructive surgery to make their breasts look even; this creates pressure to fulfill female gender roles of performing self-care, which takes a toll on these patients’ mental states. Because a woman may lose her hair due to treatment, she can feel less feminine, as if a part of her identity was taken away. This mental stress can manifest to negatively affect the physical status of the patient. This example demonstrates the negative effect that gendering illness may have on those who are