When women confide in a professional about their illness, they may find that health care is not fit for women. Women’s health care does not have a proper system to accommodate women. Health care must be examined and evaluated to promote women’s right to health. There needs to be some sort of equality in Canadian health care with equity for both sexes (Hankivsky, 1999).
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) states that women experience mental illness differently from men. This includes causes, symptoms and a treatment that can differ which means that health care must familiarize themselves so they can help women as well. Some of the main factors that can create differences are in biological makeup, psychological factors, and an individual’s environment.
Women and men differ in brain functioning and have unique hormones. This can change how a person interprets events and determines if they take it as positive or negative. Women tend to have more symptoms such as sleeping too much, increased appetite, and weight gain. Since these are not extreme symptoms, some women cannot diagnose themselves with an illness and then they seek help much later than they should (Canadian Mental Health Association). Psychological factors can be challenges women face repeatedly. Women are the primary caregivers to both children and seniors which is a large responsibility for many women (Mullaly 2007). It can be difficult to care for your family when you are also added with the stress of finding a job and providing a constant paycheck.
Balancing work and life will also fall under social surroundings that can have an effect on a women’s mental health. Single mother families have a very high statistic claiming 80% of all single parent families (Mullaly 2007). I can imagine that being a single mother would only add to the stresses of finding a steady job and making sure your children are well taken care of and have the best care they can get. I feel as if a person’s environment has a large impact on their mental health and as I read in Mullaly, “Women are among the poorest groups in Canadian Society” (page 161). That terrifies me I can only hope that someone is reaching out to help those women.
A very possible illness that women can have is depression which can make a women feel worthless and overwhelming sadness (Canadian Mental Health Association). Unfortunately, like in many cases of mental illness, women either will not realise they have an illness or choose not to tell anyone because they are afraid of the stigma towards mental illness. When women finally do confide in a professional about their illness, they may find that health care is not fit for women. Women’s health care does not have a proper system to accommodate women (Hankivsky 1999).
Liberal feminists fight for things such as this inequality in health care. They want equal rights and opportunities by reforming (not transforming) things like social issues. Liberal feminism wants equal rights and looks at personal interactions between male and females as a starting point for change (Mullaly 2007). I think of myself as a liberal feminist because I believe in equal rights for men and women. I have been in situations when I was told “women cook and clean while men work”. This old fashioned thought rubbed me the wrong way and I have removed myself from being in a situation again.
It should be obvious that women are different from men and have different needs. Peter B. Raabe (Ph.D.) reviews a book that’s main topic is feminist perspectives on mental health and disorders. He finds that the book states that we must raise awareness of mental health care providers and they need to realise that woman are different from men. Liberal feminists would agree with this however they do not believe in biological differences (Mullaly 2007). It has been documented that some health care systems have used research of mental illness in men to diagnose women, in some cases, the treatments have proved to be counter-productive for women. It needs to be acknowledged that male and females have complex differences in human condition and both need to be treated separately and properly.-Nicole (Nikki) S.
Canadian Mental Health Association (n.d.) Gender Differences. Retrieved: http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/women.asp?cID=5619
Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women`s Health (October 1999) Olena Hankivsky Social Justice and Women`s Health: A Canadian Perspective. Retrieved:
http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/PDF/acewh/social-justice.pdf
http://www.cewh-cesf.ca/PDF/acewh/social-justice.pdf
Mental Disorders (December 2002) Peter B. Raabe Ph.D. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?id=1450&type=book&cn=144
Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3rd ed.). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada.
I'm shocked to read that landlords require mothers to disclose the type of mental illness that affects them. Finding adequate and affordable housing in Canada is difficult as it is, adding the stigmatization these women feel because of mental illness is saddening. These mothers truly are caught in a cycle of oppression, and the state needs to form policies that reflect the needs of all women, in order to end the cycle.
ReplyDeleteKirsten
I was also shocked at how a landlord is even legally allowed to ask or demand of such information. Housing is difficult to find, get and keep. For women I've found it to be even harder. I cannot imagine how a woman with a mental illness and perhaps children should find those difficulties. People have found any such way to discriminate and it is definitely taking a huge toll on society now. I hope we can all move to change those things in the future.
ReplyDeleteBelinda
Good post Nikki, I agree that the "cycle of oppression" needs to be broken. It isn't right that single mothers get stigma's put on them. Everyone should be treated equally.
ReplyDeleteSara
It is astounding to think of women with a mental illness going through these struggles. The sigmas of society on mothers need to be changed for the greater good of families everywhere. I agree that mothers with a mental illness can be just as good as any other mother, maybe even better in some situations. A really good perspective about this issue Nikki, good blog post.
ReplyDelete-Chandra B