Family and gender roles are a major factor in determining health outcomes in different cultures. In the United States and China, cultural beliefs about family and gender dynamics have an important impact on how individuals access healthcare services, preventative care, medical treatment for illnesses, and mental health support.
In the United States, traditional gender roles have traditionally been viewed as male-dominated with women often viewed as subordinate to men. This has led to a number of negative effects on women’s health including lower rates of preventive care visits compared to men. Women are also less likely than men to receive follow up care after receiving treatment or visit specialists such as mental health professionals if needed. Additionally, disparities in access to healthcare services between rural and urban areas tend to be more pronounced among women decreasing their ability to receive timely care.
In contrast, Chinese culture tends towards more egalitarian views on gender roles which has been shown to lead to better overall physical and mental health outcomes among both genders. An example of this is that Chinese women are much more likely than American women to seek out preventive care due largely in part because they feel that doing so is part of their responsibility as mothers or wives rather than feeling oppressed by traditional male dominated societal expectations. Additionally, Chinese men are more likely than their American counterparts to actively seek out medical attention for physical illnesses due partly because there is less stigma surrounding admitting vulnerability or seeking help from healthcare providers when needed within Chinese society compared with the U.S..
Discuss the family and gender roles in these two cultures related to health.
Families also play an important role in influencing both American and Chinese attitudes towards healthcare utilization . In America families may be seen by some as private entities where individuals should take it upon themselves alone receive necessary medical treatments while others may view it as the responsibility of all family members no matter what age or gender they may be regardless of whether they need services at present time or not . In contrast ,Chinese families typically place a greater emphasis on collective responsibility meaning that providing necessary medical attention for all its members is seen as a duty for all family members regardless if its immediate member’s need assistance at present time or not . As one example from recent studies , elderly individuals living within multi-generational households (commonly practiced within China) were found significantly more likely access prescribed medication compared those elderly patients living alone showing that having supportive network can increase individual’s likelihood engaging wih healthy practices even when direct motivation may otherwise lacked by an individual person due factors such socioeconomic status
Ultimately these two distinct but related cultural norms around family involvement in accessing healthcare combined with varying views on gender roles affect how effectively individuals will engage with available resources leading either positive improvements general well-being potential burden placed upon local social safety nets depending upon how effective culturally driven systems promoting early interventions most importantly prevention strategies implemented within each respective location