Impact of Gender Stereotyping and Medicalisation on Women's Health

This essay discusses the negative impact of gender stereotyping and medicalisation on women's health. It highlights the various stereotypes related to gender and their impact on women's physical and mental health. The essay also emphasizes the need for equal access to healthcare services for women.

INTRODUCTION TO
HEALTH AND SOCIAL
CARE(MILTON KEYNES)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Gender stereotype refers to the generalized view or perception which is related with
characteristics or attributes. There is the some of the perception which are generalized in the
society which are not correct and is based on the specific gender. This is harmful when it is
related with specific gender to develop capabilities, making choices and professional careers
about their lives. There is discrimination with women on the basis of their gender which is not
right and need to be improved. There is also need to finish such type of stereotyping with the
scientific facts which can have the base to improve and implement effectively. There is
discussion about the argument of feminist about the gender stereotype and medicalisation that
can have negative impact on the women health and coming historically. In this essay, there is
discussion about the various stereotype related with gender and gender medicalisation which
have the negative impact on the women's health (Fadzal, 2018).
MAIN BODY
There are many argument of the feminist which is related with the gender stereotyping
which is related with the gender. There are some of the example which are can help to
understand that there many type of stereotype which are among between us and people are
unaware of those stereotypes. For example- In society there is an stereotype that girls should
palay with the doll whereas, boys should be play with trucks or any superhero. There is also an
stereotype that boys should wear blue cloths whereas girls should wear pink. This is the
stereotype which is there in the society and people are not conscious about these such stereotype.
There are many stereotype that lead to create the inequality within gender and is related with
gender. It is said that there are many of the people who says that girls should look good and thin
which is there to make them appealing to men whereas, boys should be tough and use their
violence and aggression to show their manliness. Such type of stereotyping are there in the
society which can lead to create the impact on the women health (Kearns, 2017).
There are various factors which are there impacting the health which can impact the
health of the women and is associated with lifestyle and development. Due to discrimination and
gender stereotype there is inequality in medicalisation. This can impact receiving of effective
healthcare treatment and services which are there able to get better treatment. Due to having
stereotype like women are to make food in the house and taking care of children and other family

member which can lead to impact the physical and mental health of women which is there able
to direct impact the health. Women are not able to get the effective treatment which are there
able to get the effective treatment regarding getting chronic illness and diseases related with
reproductive system. There is low level of medicalisation services are provided to the women in
comparison to the men. This is the type of stereotype which is there in the society which need to
be improved to delivering of effective and equal treatment opportunity for every individual.
Feminist argue that there are many physical activity which are associated with specific
gender which need to be improved for the improved health. There is need to focus on the
delivery of healthcare services and treatment which are not provided to females due to not
investing on the proper treatment in comparison to men (Jerald, 2017).
There is the stereotype that women need to complete home related work which is their
responsibility which create mental and physical stress to them and due to continue working in all
year there need to rest but they don't get rest and impact their physical health negatively.
There is also a stereotype where female have the responsibility to take care of household
work even they are working women. In this, condition there have high responsibility of
managing their work life balance which is highly stressful. This lead to mental and physical
stress which needs relaxation and better healthcare services. They also need effective healthcare
services for their improved health. There are many type of health related issues causes due to
continuous work process without taking appropriate rest. This is associated with decrease in the
health and leads to create serious health issue. But due to discrimination in providing healthcare
services creates difficulty in delivering of effective treatment and care services.
It is observed that there is increase in number of violence cases which is due to stereotype
where it is said that men should show their power by dominating female either at workplace or at
home. There is the stereotype that men are able to show their physical strength and should be
violent and aggressive. This lead to create physical or mental violence which can impact women
either mentally or physically. It can also be observed that to show the superiority men show their
physical strength on women and lead to create violence which is illegal and wrong and should be
taken action against such type of offence (Fedorov, 2018). There is also need to delivery better
understanding about the behaviour which not promoting any type of stereotype or violence. Due
to violence at home, women get physically injured which is inappropriate behaviour and should
diminishing of such type of violence and should taken against the guilty person. Due to violence

there is health related concern to women which is again not fulfilled by getting effective
healthcare services and treatment.
There is inequality in delivery of healthcare services to women. There is some of the
stereotype that women should not talk about their health related issues which is even related with
reproductive system and can have negative impact due to not having the access to healthcare
services. There is a perception or stereotype that men are highly need to access to healthcare
instead to women. They should be healthy to perform various activity which is related with any
type of work that are stereotyped to perform by the men not by women. This make them to get
better access to healthcare services and treatment and reduce the access to better healthcare for
the women (Lanas, 2019).
There is need to focus on the neutralising such type of stereotype which are promoting
physical or mental violence against any specific gender. There should be equal opportunity to
access to healthcare which should be there to focus on effective healthcare services. This can
help to reduce the stereotype which is in the society related with gender. There is need to
minimise such type of stereotype that can lead to reduce the chances of discrimination on gender
basis. There is also need to keep focus on medicalisation which not been impacted due to having
negative impact on women. There is need to create awareness about the stereotype which are
creating negative impact on the women health and lead to create discrimination on the basis of
gender.
In workplace by assigning various work where any work related with use of potential
which is related with strength are not assigned to the women. Whereas, it has been observed that,
any work where physical strength are not required are assigned to the women which is a type of
stereotype which should not be there at the workplace and such type of stereotype have negative
impact on their mental health where they are enforced to think that they are not illegible to
conduct or perform any task related with physical potential or strength (Zeeman, 2020). It can
also be observed that there are number of people who are having perception that women should
not perform work related with high physical strength. This is a stereotype and should be finished.
They are also having potential to perform various task which is related with high physical
potential.
Women don't have the access to healthcare due to either getting busy in their managing
their house hold works which don't allow them to get access to healthcare services which create

negative impact on their health. There is also partiality in delivery of healthcare services due to
stereotype that they don't need more healthcare treatment or services and there are many of the
people who don't like to invest on the healthcare for women for their better health. This also
creates negative impact due to not getting better and effective healthcare services and lead to
worsening of health over time (Nabaneh, 2019).
CONCLUSION
From above discussion, it can be concluded that there are many stereotype which are
there in the society that shows the perception and discrimination about the sp[specific gender. It
has also been observed that there is difficulty in access to healthcare services by women and
cause problem in effective delivery of healthcare services to women. There is also some of the
specific healthcare treatment which are not effective provided to women even after chronic
illness. In this essay there is discussion about various type of stereotype which are effective in
creating negative impact in the women health.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Fadzal, 2018. Overcoming the stereotypes of masculinity in Singaporean elite level male
gymnasts. The Asian Journal of Kinesiology, 20(4), pp.30-42.
Fedorov, 2018. Stereotypes of Teenagers' Images in Audiovisual Media Texts about Schools and
Universities. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 7(3), pp.458-464.
Jerald, 2017. Subordinates, sex objects, or sapphires? Investigating contributions of media use to
Black students’ femininity ideologies and stereotypes about Black women. Journal of
Black Psychology, 43(6), pp.608-635.
Kearns, 2017. Transphobia and cisgender privilege: Pre-service teachers recognizing and
challenging gender rigidity in schools. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue
canadienne de l'éducation, 40(1), pp.1-27.
Lanas, 2019. Bad behaviour in school: a discursive approach. British Journal of Sociology of
Education, 40(5), pp.682-695.
Nabaneh, 2019. Female genital mutilation/cutting in Africa: A complex legal and ethical
landscape. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 145(2), pp.253-257.
Zeeman, 2020. A systematic review of the health and healthcare inequalities for people with
intersex variance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 17(18), p.6533.