CHAPTER 11 Gender, Age, and Health

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS CHAPTER 11

Gender, Age, and Health Section 1: Gender Section 2: Age and Disability Section 3: Health

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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 1: Gender

Objectives:  Analyze how gender roles affect the opportunities available to men and women in society.  Explain how gender roles are affected by socialization.

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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 1: Gender

Gender Roles and Opportunities  Education – still gender distinctions in degree majors, fewer women pursuing doctoral or professional degrees, and less funding for women’s college athletics  Employment – still a wage gap and a glass ceiling for women  Politics – underrepresented in politics 3

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 1: Gender

Gender Roles and Socialization  In virtually all societies, gender socialization begins at birth and continues throughout life  Children learn American gender-role behaviors through socialization such as in the family or at school

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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 2: Age and Disability

Objectives:  Discuss the effect that the aging of the population is having on society.  Explain how the aging of the population is affecting the life chances of older Americans.

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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 2: Age and Disability

The Aging World  Economic Effects – rising cost of health care, cost of Social Security; burden to family and younger workers; living longer in retirement  Political Effects – becoming a stronger political force; organized voting bloc, focusing on health care, retirement, and Social Security 6

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 2: Age and Disability

Aging and Life Changes of Older Americans  Some people claim that government transfer payments like Social Security have made older Americans financially secure at the expense of younger generations  Older Americans have to deal with poverty, disabilities, prejudice, and discrimination  Older Americans have become a political force and a topic of debate thus bringing greater attention to Social Security and Medicare 7

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 3: Health

Objectives:  Describe the state of health care in the United States.  Identify some of the special health-care concerns of various segments of American society.

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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 3: Health

Health Care in the U.S.  Focuses on Two Main Issues:  Cost of Health Care – concern over the rapid rise in health care costs  Quality of Health Care – some believe that managed care has decreased the quality of health care  Access to Health Care – distribution of physicians, both geographically and within the medical profession, has limited accessibility to health care 9

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Section 3: Health

Health Care Concerns Today  Health Insurance – unequal health care exists between public and private insurance programs  Alternative Medicine – is a concern because there are few scientific studies on the effectiveness of alternative treatments  AIDS – has developed into one of the most serious public-health problems in the U.S. and around the world in just two decades 10

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON