Abstract
This report seeks to find out why fewer men compared to women visit doctors. The report responds to a scenario in government hospitals where more women go to doctors when compared to men. The report has found out that men delay the need to visit a doctor often thinking that the symptoms of the disease will clear. Additionally, misconceptions created about masculinity hinder men from seeking medical attention in the belief that doing so will make them less manly. Time and money have also been identified as other reasons that make men delay in seeking medical care. The report recommends that the government should target men with educational programs; work with stakeholders in the healthcare facilities to make men’s experiences in hospitals more accommodating, and work with young boys to shape their perceptions about health services at an early age.
Introduction
Different studies indicate that men are more reluctant to seek medical help compared to women (Schuman 2011; Winerman 2003). It is argued that men often do not want to show how vulnerable they are (Fenton 2012). At other times, men have the misconception that they can ‘toughen it out’ even when they are hurting (Fenton 2012). It also seems that men have been socialized to avoid expressing what they feel, and that includes keeping quiet about important issues such as suspected ailments (Schuman 2011). As a result, a high percentage of men only go to the doctors when they cannot avoid it, meaning that most of the diseases that could have been managed well if detected early, are only diagnosed in late progression stages. This research paper seeks to identify the main reasons that fewer men go to doctors as compared to women. This is in response to the prevailing scenario in government hospitals where it has been noted that more women than men go to the doctor. The problem is that without knowing the exact reasons why men do not go to doctors as much as women do, the government cannot formulate and enact strategies that will help men to be more forthcoming with their health issues. The report will provide recommendations about possible interventions that the government can adopt to help men become more open on matters of health.
Findings
Men have been found to delay seeking medical attention even when they feel sick in the hope that whatever illness they have will eventually clear on its own. Partly, the delay in seeking medical attention is caused by men’s risk-taking nature which inclines them to think they can ‘beat’ disease by being tough (Fenton 2012). As Ricciardelli, Mellor, and McCabe (2012, para.16) aptly note, men, are ‘less likely to admit pain or seek medical advice, which subsequently leads to delays in receiving treatment and often serious consequences…’
Hegemonic masculinity is also another reason why men do not seek medical attention (Ricciardelli et al. 2012). It has been noted that men hold on to the misconception that seeking help makes them less masculine and powerful. In their attempt to hold on to perceptions of masculinity and power, they get into denial, which eventually increases their vulnerability to diseases (Winerman 2005). Courtenay (2000) notes that men’s claim to being the stronger sex appears more legitimate when they take risks related to their health, when they do not admit that they are hurting, and when they are tough even when ailing.
Time and money have also been cited as key reasons why men do not seek preventative or essential health care services. Schuman (2011) found out that the clinics open during the same hours that offices open, and more often, men choose to attend work rather than go for health screenings. Additionally, a study conducted by Xu and Border (2003 cited by Schuman 2011) found out that the time a man spends in the doctor’s waiting room is a predictor of whether he will return for checkups or not.
The reluctance to see a doctor among men and women is occasioned by different factors (as indicated in figure 1 below). In a study seeking to discover why people did not seek help when in mental distress, Bevan (2010) found out that disease not being severe enough was a leading reason for reluctance. Reasons linked to oneself (e.g. never liking doctors or not seeing the need to see a doctor as indicated by Schuman (2011)) came second among the causes for reluctance. Embarrassment, time and money, and family and/or friends were also cited as reasons for men’s reluctance to go to hospitals. Curiously, about 7.5% of the men featured in the survey did not know why they were reluctant to seek medical help.
Conclusion
From this report, it appears that there are different reasons why men do not visit doctors as often as women do. Hegemonic masculinity seems to play a major role in men’s attitudes towards seeking medical help since men are naturally risk-takers. Compounding the issue further is men’s misconceptions that seeking help on health issues will portray them as weak therefore demeaning their masculinity. The belief that a disease will eventually clear up on itself or that men can be tough when ailing has also been found to hinder men from seeking health care services.
Recommendations
- Government should educate men about the necessity of seeking preventative and essential health care services. One of the ways this can be done is through targeted programs that demystify masculinity. Specifically, men should be told that they are no lesser men just because they seek medical assistance.
- Government should work with healthcare professionals to make healthcare provision more comfortable for men. One such way would target shortening hospital waiting times. Additionally, and as indicated by Winerman (2005), emphasizing that health care makes men stronger and able to cater to their ‘manly’ responsibilities better would make enhance healthcare’s appeal to men. A different approach would be by scheduling doctor’s appointments to coincide with days when men are not working.
- Government should target shaping the perceptions of boys towards healthcare services from an early age as suggested by Ricciardeli et al. (2012). Such an approach will ensure that the future generations of men do not have the same attitudes that prevent the current generation of men from seeking medical services. The suggested approach can be in the form of education programs that address most of the misconceptions of what it means to be a man. Specifically, and for purposes of addressing health-related issues, such a program should underscore that being a man requires seeking help when a need to do so arises.
References list
Bevan, N 2010, Psychological help-seeking: understanding men’s behaviour, PhD Thesis, The University of Adelaide Australia, Web.
Courtenay, W 2000, ‘Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s well-being: a theory of gender and health’, Social Science and Medicine, vol.50, pp. 1385-1401.
Fenton, D 2012, ‘The real reasons men don’t go to the doctor – and why they should!’Steady Health, Web.
Ricciardelli, L, Mellor, D & McCabe, M 2012, ‘The quiet crisis: challenges for men’s health in Australia’, InPsych, Web.
Schuman, J 2011, ‘The ‘Superman syndrome’: why men are reluctant to pursue preventative care’, Primary Issues, Web.
Winerman, L 2005, ‘Helping men to help themselves’, Monitor, vol.36, no.6, Web.