Effect of Gender Expectations on Paid and Unpaid Providers - Essay Sample

In the current conventional health care, patient autonomy is a fundamental concern as it plays a significant role in ensuring quality care and outcomes. According to Sherwin (1998), there is a four-point comprehensive definition of the expected autonomy in health care. However, the definitions are challenging in exercise if studied in the framework of sexist or classist institutional paradigms. The first is that the patient must be sufficiently competent. In various conditions affecting women autonomy, competency comes first as a dominant power group. For instance, cultural and language barriers can be considered to be reason enough to question the understanding or the competency of the patient when bearing their care in mind. Rationality specifically is considered as the basic measure of skill, especially when a female patient shows emotional distance and objectivity. As the traits are mostly found to contradict those believed to be possessed by the women, then rationality becomes a problem (Sherman, 1980). On the other hand, competency is often seen as being beyond a woman's capabilities making autonomy impossible.

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The second definition is that women autonomy makes a reasonable choice for available options. For this condition to hold, a generous selection of provided options should be straightforward enough. Conversely, the availed options appear to limit patients autonomy as it excludes choices the patient might have favored prematurely (Sherwin, 1998). Researchers have dominantly found that selection of primary care providers to be funded and pre-selection has reduced womens preferences in shaping the processes of providing health care decisions.

The third definition of patient autonomy is concerned with the availability of adequate information and understanding of the choices the patient can make. It is related with understanding the choices and the ties each choice carries. According to Sherman (1980) the information that has been deemed worthy of studyand, significantly, what questions are neglected; systemic bias unquestionably influences these policies.". In most cases, patients do not possess the capability required to examine providers to get the information they require. Additionally, the health providers as members of the group treating the members often do not have the right perspective with the time availed. For this case, women patient do not receive the relevant information they need in their situation.

The fourth and the last definition of autonomy involve freedom from coercion. This condition is dominant in the patriarchal culture and becomes a problem in the health sector. Gender oppression infiltrates almost every part of a womans agency and choice. Although women may try to fight for liberation, it always becomes a challenge in sharing their ideas with someone else (Gustafson, 2000). For this reason, each choice is subconsciously inclined to the culture around them and the decision made reinforced by them. For example, negative view of aging, self-worth regarding fertility and standards of beauty may impact treatment decisions in various ways. This may include the desire and presentation of various treatments methods and the risks experienced.

Women face difficulties to navigate and express autonomy in the available systems as they are explicitly and subtly forced with the existing stereotyped opinions. They uphold the perception that women lack competency, and when their choices are premeditated by individuals who fail to deliberate on womens inclinations, then access to health care becomes a dangerous and frustrating endeavor (Gustafson, 2000).

References

Gustafson, Diana (2000). "Introduction: Health care reform and its impact on Canadian women." Care and consequences: The impact of health care reform, 15-24.

Sherman, Julia A. (1980). "Therapist attitudes and sex-role stereotyping." Women and psychotherapy: An assessment of research and practice, 35-66.

Sherwin, Susan (1998). The politics of women's health: Exploring agency and autonomy. Temple University Press,

Effect of Gender Expectations on Paid and Unpaid Providers of Health Care

When considering the delivery and quality health care for patients, primary concerns, working environments and gender expectations becomes paramount. For instance, about 80% of all health care providers in Canada are women (Diana, 2000). These statistics are also reflected in other areas where women make up the highest number of the hospital worker. It is evident that women occupy most of the positions in private homes, residential facilities and most of the nursing homes. It is evident that even in unpaid workers who provide health care to older relatives, over 70% of them are women (Diana, 2000).

With these statistics, it is evident that the disproportionate time demand faced by women caregivers create stress. Additionally, for individual who have decided to build a career in health sector, the existing sexism in their anticipated roles creates further problems. Letvak (2001) proposes that the predominance of women in such professions as social work and nursing has led to their identification with that other domain of female exclusivity, the housewife (Clifford, 1988). In most cultures, nursing is identified with the female role which has introduced the grouping of the career sectors. With such experience, the grouping of individuals regarding socioeconomic status, lifestyle, ethnicity or race reinforces negative stereotypes (Valentine, 1996). Currently, such conditions have progressed gender expectations in the nurturing of professions.

Most of the mothers paid or unpaid caregivers face the worst conditions. According to Letvak (2001) report about 70 percent of women having young children do participate in the labor force. However, it is clear that women still are responsible for over 70 percent of all household obligations (Judy, 1999). On the other hand, Women engaging in unpaid care are excluded from other duties and paid labor. However, 60 % of women caregivers work over 35 hours in a week outside their homes as well as care for older adult family member (Jenkins, 1997). This information shows that women are disproportionately laden with the health care needs of patients as well as being expected to carry out other duties as well. Such occurrence have been measured satisfactory in a sexist social context, as there has been a continued image of nursing as being stereotyped to nurturing and self-sacrificing women always ready to meet the requirements of others.

Such practices are harmful to women, their families and patients they take care of. This should also concern the health care sector. To solve this problem, women should fully engage in both paid and unpaid care in the process of making policies to find a solution as some remedies will automatically present themselves. Women should be recognized and valued in caregiving services to reduce the frustration. This would result in more suitable programs and services that include potential subsidies and support for unpaid caregivers (Letvak, 2001). Additionally, Letvak (2001) proposes for paid caregivers to be given flexible working hours, benefits for part-time work, job sharing together with innovations per hours worked. These may include bendable time off especially for those who have children in school or whose families become sick (Letvak, 2001)

With the growing privatization of public services in health care, the trend shows that more women will have to work more compared to previous work. This calls for enhancement to increase the staff number, care quality level and save more money in the available system. Without these improvements being reflected in the existing conventional health delivery system, professional nursing and quality patient care will endure a reduction (Judy, 1999). The homecare will escalate and the problem would shift more to women and families, therefore, decreasing their collective health, especially with a fast aging residents.

References

C L Jenkins, (1997)., "Women, work and caregiving: How do these roles affect women's wellbeing?" Journal of Women and Aging 9 no 3 27-45.

G J Clifford (1988), "Women's liberation and women's professions reconsidering the past, present and future," in Women and Higher Education in American History: Essays from the Mount Holyoke College Sesquicentennial Symposia, ed J Faragher, F Howe. New York: W W Norton and Co, 165-182.

Letvak, S. (March 2001). Nurses as working women. AORN Journal, 73(3), 675682.

Norsigian, Judy, et al (1999). "The Boston women's health book collective and Our Bodies, Ourselves: A brief history and reflection." JOURNAL-AMERICAN MEDICAL WOMENS ASSOCIATION 54, 35-36.

P E B Valentine, (1996). "Nursing: A ghettoized profession relegated to women's sphere," International Journal of Nursing Studies 33 no 1, 98-106.