Gender and Mental Health Discussion Questions
Should there be indication that people did communicate about the answers or study together there is the risk that both or all students will receive a failing grade.Describe and evaluate the evidence available from multiple sources in the class: lecture, text book, coursepack readings, online. Two pages each paper( double space)
(1) When and how did contraception and abortion become legal in the United States? Describe the effect of this access on women’s health and their ability to maximize their “capabilities”? What are the persistent barriers to continued access to contraception and abortion in the United States: who is excluded, and how is exclusion achieved? Explain how the theory of patriarchy applies to the societal impulse to prevent women from controlling their fertility.
(2) What are the major proximal, or immediate, reasons for maternal or infant death during childbirth? (The causes are different) Describe the trends in maternal and infant mortality historically and during the present day. Include as much detail (including graphs) as demonstrates the trend. What factors seem to contribute to fluctuations in survival during childbirth? What are the more distant, social explanations for mortality during childbirth? Explain why race appears to be a contributing factor.
(3) What are some of the leading causes of disease in middle aged women in the U.S. relating to cardiovascular health (Describe at least three). Present the characteristics (features) and the origins of the various illnesses. How do women differ from men in the presentation of cardiovascular disease and what are their respective outcomes? What racial differences have been observed and what theory attempts to explain such differences?
(4) With an aging population more illness occurs in both men and women. What is the overall prevalence and cost of morbidity in the U.S.? As women age they diverge from men in the prevalence of certain diseases: What particular class of diseases contributes to women’s morbidity more than they affect men. Describe the sex ratios, features, presentation of symptoms, and prevention or treatment for at least three of these illnesses.
(5) Apply the concepts of “sex and gender” to women’s experience with sexually transmitted infections and gender-based violence. Select at least three unique sexually transmitted infections for analysis. How does the overall experience of sexually transmitted infections differ for men and women? Consider the conditions of contracting the disease, their symptoms, the health effects, and their access to treatment or prevention. Enumerate the cost women may pay for STI’s that are unique to women. To what degree does biology play a role in the differences between men and women, and to what degree are social conditions relevant?