What Makes Women Unhealthy?
- Poverty
- Illiteracy
- Gender inequality
- Primary care taking responsibilities
- Limited social & environmental resources
- Limited access to comprehensive health care
- Political, judicial & religious restrictions
- Violence
- Misperceptions about health & illness
There are multiple factors that contribute to the development of poor health. Many of these are commonly recognized and have been studied intensively. Factors such as exposure to micro-organisms that cause infections, familial or hereditary conditions such as cystic fibrosis, and alterations in gene expression that can result in the development of disease.
During the past few decades there has been a recognition of and research conducted to explore the more complex aspects of health and illness that include social, economic, political, legal, environmental and cultural influences. For example, experiences or perceptions of chronic stress have been associated with increased inflammatory responses that can contribute to the development of chronic conditions such as hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.
There are numerous studies that have linked chronic stress to premature aging, in other words an individual’s physiologic age being older than her or his chronologic age.
There is also growing evidence that individuals who have social networks have better health status compared to individuals who have few or no social support, in other words those living in social isolation. All of the items on this list have been investigated in terms of how they can adversely impact women’s health.