Mental Health In Women; The Gender Based Obstacles We Must Overcome

Biological sex and gender differences have an incredible impact on psychological well being and mental illnesses.

Mental illness stems from a combination of both biological and environmental influences. For instance, the hormone testosterone has actually been found to have beneficial antidepressant influences. This could be part of the reason why women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety and depressive disorders in comparison to men. Women are also much more likely to experience some sort of trauma in their lives, including sexual and domestic violence. Because of this, women are twice as likely to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) compared to men. This statistic has only worsened since the pandemic; rate of domestic abuse have increased dramatically since people have been forced to isolate.

In addition to this, women seem to face a lot more societal pressures. This includes the need to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Not to mention the invention of social media has only further worsened this pre-existing issue. Due to these pressures, women are more susceptible to body dysmorphia, self esteem issues, and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. It should be noted that these disorders can worsen the symptoms of anxiety and depression as well. These pressures placed upon women aren’t only appearance based, either. Society highly values women who are exceptionally caring, nurturing, kind, sophisticated, etc. They’re also expected to be physically appealing in every way. To sum it up, women are expected to be perfect 24/7, which is an impossible task. Women are also much more susceptible to prejudice and mistreatment based on their gender. All these sociocultural factors can heavily impact a woman’s mental well being, and thus lead to an increase in disorders.

Essentially, women have many unique gender-based obstacles they must overcome. Economic/Financial factors are often a common source of stress for women. This is due to the fact that women are frequently underpaid. As well, they are often not easily able to get time off work for necessary care, whether it be health or otherwise. A study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation concluded that one in four women couldn’t get time off of work for necessary treatments. Being overworked, or missing necessary medical treatments, can worsen ones mental health. Additionally, childcare and postpartum depression can heavily influence a woman’s well being. Women may not be able to receive adequate treatment for these issues; they aren’t often able to access proper treatment, like mentioned before. They are also often left with the responsibility of being the child’s primary caregiver, which is not only stressful, but doesn’t give them much time to seek help for any problems they may be facing.

Though we have advanced past stigma regarding mental health, it still exists, especially against women. Women are frequently not taken seriously, their issues being “brushed off”. They often don’t get the proper treatment that they need, which is a huge problem. Mental health professionals need to recognize these barriers, and their consequences and factor this into their treatment plans to ensure each patient receives the proper care they need and deserve regardless of sex or gender.

Citations: Mass General Brigham McLean, Why We Need To Pay Attention To Women’s Mental Health, https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/why-we-need-pay-attention-womens-mental-health, 2021.