Does gender have a role in health?

• Using material from Modules 1 & 2, develop an argument that supports your chosen position.
• NO PLAGERISM and only write using reference from readings

Lecture 2: Olson et al., 2022 – “Imperatives of health or happiness:
Narrative constructions of long-term smoking after undergoing lung
screening”

This study examines how individuals narrate their experiences with long-term smoking following lung screenings. It highlights the social and personal narratives people construct around health behaviors, showing that smoking is not only a physical habit but also intertwined with identity, social pressures, and moral judgments. The article demonstrates how societal expectations around “healthy behavior” influence personal decisions, illustrating
how health is both socially and individually constructed.

Key idea: Long-term smokers construct narratives about their health that are shaped by social expectations and personal identity.

Use in essay: You can use this to discuss how health behaviors are socially constructed and influenced by societal pressures, e.g., how people justify or negotiate unhealthy habits in a health-conscious society.

Lecture 3: Pfister, 2022 – “Predicament and Pilgrimage: Hearing Families
of Deaf Children in Mexico City”

Pfister explores the experiences of families raising deaf children in Mexico City. The study emphasizes how cultural, social, and medical expectations shape these families’ healthcare decisions and social interactions. It illustrates the challenges of navigating health systems that may not fully accommodate diversity, highlighting how access to care and support is filtered through societal norms and medical perspectives.

Key idea: Families of deaf children navigate medical, social, and cultural expectations in Mexico City.

Use in essay: Useful to show how healthcare experiences are culturally and socially mediated, highlighting that gender, family roles, and societal norms impact health decisions and experiences.

Lecture 4: Liggins, 2018 – “Healing the heart of recovery”

Liggins discusses the psychological and social aspects of recovery after mental health or trauma-related experiences. The reading emphasizes that recovery is not solely medical but also relational and social. Gendered expectations can affect how individuals seek help, express vulnerability, and receive support, highlighting the intersection of personal experience, social norms, and healthcare practices.

Key idea: Recovery from trauma or mental health challenges is relational and social, not just medical.

Use in essay: You can incorporate this to argue that health and well-being are affected by social support systems and gendered expectations about seeking help.

Lecture 5 : Ellis, 2017 – “Through a filtered lens: Unauthorized

picture-taking of people with dwarfism in public spaces” Ellis investigates how people with dwarfism are treated in public and healthcare contexts, focusing on unauthorized photography as a form of social marginalization. The article
demonstrates how societal perceptions and stereotypes influence both social interactions and healthcare experiences, showing that marginalized groups often face invisibility or misrepresentation, affecting access to empathetic care.

Key idea: People with dwarfism face public marginalization and stereotyping that affects their healthcare experiences.

Use in essay: Useful for illustrating how social perceptions, stigma, and gendered experiences influence access to empathetic healthcare and representation in health narratives.

Lecture 6: Gaudet, 2020 – “The piety of optimization: The rhetoric of
health awareness in ParticipACTION and Fitbit”

Gaudet examines how health promotion campaigns and wearable technologies frame health as an individual responsibility and moral obligation. The reading highlights how social expectations about “optimization” can reinforce gendered and cultural pressures, shaping behaviors and perceptions of wellness while potentially marginalizing those who do not conform to idealized standards of health.

Key idea: Health technologies (e.g., Fitbit) and campaigns (ParticipACTION) frame health as an individual moral responsibility.

Use in essay: Supports discussion about how societal expectations shape health behaviors, including the gendered pressures of “optimization” and the moralization of health choices.

Lecture 7: Salamonsen & Ahlzén, 2017 – “Epistemological challenges in
contemporary Western healthcare systems exemplified by people’s
widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine”

This article explores the epistemological tensions between conventional Western medicine and complementary/alternative medicine (CAM). It highlights how patients, influenced by personal beliefs and social factors, navigate multiple medical systems, revealing gaps in mainstream healthcare practices. Gender and cultural norms influence who seeks CAM and
how their choices are perceived by the medical establishment.

Key idea: Patients use complementary and alternative medicine due to epistemological gaps in conventional healthcare systems.

Use in essay: You can highlight the tension between medical authority and patient beliefs, showing how social, cultural, and gendered norms influence healthcare choices.

Lecture 8: Carlson, 2023 – “Global perspectives on Indigeneity:
Indigenous perspectives on global Indigeneity”

Carlson examines how Indigenous identities are understood globally, emphasizing sovereignty, cultural continuity, and the social determinants of health. The reading highlights how colonial histories and systemic inequalities shape health outcomes for Indigenous communities, including gendered experiences, demonstrating that health cannot be separated from social and political contexts.

Key idea: Indigenous perspectives emphasize sovereignty, cultural continuity, and social determinants of health.

Use in essay: Useful for discussing how colonial histories, social inequalities, and gender roles shape health outcomes in Indigenous communities

Lecture 9: Hamley, 2023 – “Intergenerational Affect, Language Trauma,
and Pride: Young Māori Men’s Emotional Experiences of Te Reo Māori”

Hamley investigates the emotional experiences of young Māori men learning Te Reo Māori, focusing on intergenerational trauma and cultural identity. The study shows how cultural and linguistic identity intersects with emotional well-being, indicating that social and cultural factors—including gendered expectations—affect mental health outcomes and experiences.

Key idea: Young Māori men’s experiences learning Te Reo Māori show how
intergenerational trauma and cultural identity influence emotional and mental well-being.

Use in essay: Can be used to discuss the intersection of culture, gender, and mental health, showing that health is deeply influenced by identity and social context.

Lecture 10: Hau’ofa, 1994 – “Our Sea of Islands”

Hau’ofa presents a Pacific-centered view of geography, identity, and community, emphasizing interconnectedness. The reading illustrates how cultural perspectives and social structures influence health and well-being, framing health as not just individual but deeply embedded in community, environment, and cultural practices.

Key idea: Health and well-being are embedded in community, culture, and environment, not just individual behavior.

Use in essay: Supports the argument that health should be analyzed from a holistic perspective, emphasizing collective and cultural factors rather than only individual choices.

Lecture 11: Lawrie et al., 2023 – “Birth by emergency caesarean delivery:
Perspectives of Wāhine Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand”

This study documents Wāhine Māori experiences of emergency caesarean delivery, highlighting the role of cultural expectations, social support, and medical systems in shaping birth experiences. Gendered norms influence both the care received and the psychological impact of childbirth, showing how culturally-informed care is crucial for equitable health outcomes.

Key idea: Wāhine Māori’s experiences of emergency caesarean births highlight the importance of culturally sensitive care.

Use in essay: Useful for demonstrating how gendered and cultural expectations intersect with healthcare delivery, affecting both physical and psychological outcomes.

Lecture 12: Funaki et al., 2018 – “Identifying and overcoming barriers to
healthier lives”

Funaki and colleagues analyze barriers to adopting healthier lifestyles, including structural, social, and cultural factors. The study emphasizes that health behavior is influenced by environmental access, societal norms, and education. Gender plays a role in shaping these barriers, affecting motivation, resources, and support systems for health.

Key idea: Structural, social, and cultural barriers impact the ability to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Use in essay: Can be cited to explain how gender, social norms, and environment affect health behaviors and access to health-promoting resources.

Lecture 13: Barnabe, 2021 – “Towards attainment of Indigenous health
through empowerment: resetting health systems, services and provider
approaches”

Barnabe discusses how health outcomes for Indigenous populations can improve through empowerment, culturally sensitive care, and systemic reforms. Gender intersects with Indigenous identity to shape health experiences, highlighting the importance of both community-centered approaches and culturally responsive healthcare in addressing health
disparities.

Key idea: Empowerment and culturally responsive healthcare improve Indigenous health outcomes.

Use in essay: Useful for highlighting systemic and community-centered approaches to health, emphasizing that improving health outcomes requires addressing social and cultural inequalities, including gendered aspects.

Marking Schedule for Progress Test 1 (Assignment)

Appendix 1. Additional Information about Progress Test 1 (Assignment)

* External readings and sources are neither needed nor encouraged. Marks will be deducted if you include more than three external sources. Adding external sources also reduces the number of marks we can award to your discussion of the course content.

Essays can be submitted in English or te reo Māori.

Required essay length is 1400 +/- 150 words excluding references. Due to the grammatical construction of te reo Māori, if your essay is written in Māori, you are permitted an additional word count of 10%. For essays submitted in te reo Māori, specific technical terms from the course may be written in the English/Pacific language (ie – “biopower”, “critical disability model”, “fonofale” etc).