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Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health pp 277–296Cite as

Gender and Mental Health

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Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

Men and women experience different kinds of mental health problems. While women exceed men in internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety, men exhibit more externalizing disorders such as substance abuse and antisocial behavior, which are problematic for others. These differences also vary by race and social class: for example, African Americans possess better mental health and, thus, a smaller gender gap in psychiatric problems. What explains these differences? We concentrate on conceptions of gender and gender practices. Research on gender and mental health suggests that conceptions of masculinity and femininity affect major risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems, including the stressors men and women are exposed to, the coping strategies they use, the social relationships they engage in, and the personal resources and vulnerabilities they develop. This chapter investigates explanations in these areas for gender differences both in general and by race and class.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We primarily use the term “mental health problems” because it is more neutral than “mental illness,” which involves complex questions and debates about disease.

  2. 2.

    Some researchers think that females are as aggressive as males but express it differently: while males exceed females in direct aggression that confronts others and inflicts physical harm, females are higher than males in indirect or covert aggression that harms others’ relationships, esteem, or reputation. However, a current meta-analysis shows that direct aggression is the only form in which significant gender differences occur (Card, Stucky, Sawalani, & Little, 2008).

  3. 3.

    Rates of antisocial personality disorder are low in general.

  4. 4.

    These numbers take into account the comorbidity of depression with anxiety, and of substance abuse/dependence with antisocial personality disorder.

  5. 5.

    Gender practices refer to what men and women do, that is, how they enact masculinity and femininity.

  6. 6.

    There are debates over the definition of class and related terms. Some distinguish social class from socioeconomic status as separate aspects of socioeconomic position (e.g., Muntaner, Eaton, Miech, & O’Campo, 2004; Schnittker & McLeod, 2005). Others view socioeconomic status as the hierarchical dimensions of education, income, and occupational status, while social class involves relations of production such as owner, manager, and worker (Muntaner et al., 2004). Still other conceptions of class center on authority and control in the workplace as the defining characteristics (Wright, 2000). In this chapter, we use socioeconomic status and social class interchangeably to refer to income, education, and occupational status.

  7. 7.

    We note that sharing domestic work is associated with lower rates of divorce.

  8. 8.

    Although there are variations within race and class groups in conceptions of gender, we emphasize the differences between them in this chapter.

  9. 9.

    There are overall race differences in stressors. For example, African Americans experience most stressors more often than whites, especially discrimination stressors (Sellers, Rowley, Chavous, Shelton, & Smith, 1997; Turner & Avison, 2003). However, these race differences are rarely differentiated by gender.

  10. 10.

    We note that both men and women see problem-focused strategies as superior (Ptacek et al., 1994).

  11. 11.

    Active coping works better for problems in relationships, while avoiding or withdrawing from relationship problems brings less satisfactory outcomes (Pearlin, 1989).

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the editors of this volume for their excellent feedback and assistance. In particular, Carol S. Aneshensel gave us detailed comments and suggestions that greatly improved this chapter. We also thank Jim Jasper for his extremely helpful comments and insights.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, Davison Hall, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Sarah Rosenfield

  2. Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, Davison Hall, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Dawne Mouzon

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Carol S. Aneshensel

  2. Department of Sociomedical Sciences Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Jo C. Phelan

  3. Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Alex Bierman

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Rosenfield, S., Mouzon, D. (2013). Gender and Mental Health. In: Aneshensel, C.S., Phelan, J.C., Bierman, A. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_14

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