Topic:

“Anxiety and Gender”

Let’s consider: For this week’s discussion it will be helpful for you to read Chapter 5, pages 117-119.
Our textbook suggests that women are more prone to anxiety than men.

Let’s Discuss:

What do you think about the higher diagnoses of anxiety in women?

Why do you think that women are more prone to anxiety than men?

What are the causal factors?

What does our text’s author say? Find another resource either on the web or from a research journal or magazine article that either agrees or disagrees with your text and the article above.

Describe your findings in your initial post as well as answering the questions. 

Post your responses to two other classmates:

Rebecka Chavez

Did you know that about 31% of all women have anxiety disorders compared to that of about 19% of men (Mclean and others, 2011)? In fact, in different anxiety disorders such as specific phobias, panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, women are more commonly affected than most men (Mclean and others, 2011). Some people believe that the reason women are affected by anxiety more than men is because of their fluctuations in hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, and the difference in brain chemistry between the sexes (Remes, 2023). Studies have also shown that women seem to experience stress more than men, which can lead to anxiety (Remes, 2023). Women are also more likely to experience abuse in the lives, which can possibly lead to anxiety disorders (Remes, 2023). I also believe anxiety comes from societal pressures that women experience. We are made to feel like we should be silent, stay proper, have a clean house, bear children and be a good mom and wife, take care of everyone, always make nutritional home cooked meals, etc. Some women are even expected to do all this plus work a full-time job. We are made to feel like if we take time for ourselves than we are selfish or being a bad mom or wife. A lot of the time, with all that we are expected to do, we really do not have time to practice good self-care. I also believe women tend to worry more, especially if they are moms. I think women tend to think of multiple issues at one time, like what needs to be done now, what needs to be done tomorrow or even further down the road, possible outcomes of different situations especially the bad ones, how are they going to fix whatever needs fixed, what others may think about them, and so on. 

 Anxiety and Gender

Anxiety-related disorders are the most diagnosed mental disorder worldwide (Kearney, 2023). There are several factors to consider when it comes to anxiety and the different rates reported between men and women. Women tend to be more open, talk about their problems, and seek help faster than men. Women also face more difficulties per se; women have a higher risk to be victims of sexual harassment, sexual trauma, or sexual assault than men. There is also a bigger social pressure on women than on men, and women spend more time worrying while men seek more hands-on solutions (Kearney, 2023). According to Remes (2016), the higher rates of anxiety reported in women can be related to brain chemistry and hormonal changes. Reproductive events in women cause a change in hormones which has been related to anxiety, also the estrogen and progesterone levels vary during pregnancy can increase the risk of obsessive-compulsive disorders. Also, women and men have different biological mechanisms and they react differently to events, and also women are more prone to stress which increases the risk of anxiety (Remes, 2016).

Culturally is more acceptable for women to open up and talk about their issues which allows them to get help and get treated for anxiety. On the contrary, men are more reserved since they believe is their obligation to be tough and deal by themselves with pain, stress, anxiety, or any other illness, which makes it difficult for them to get help. This causes the level of anxiety in men to go unchecked. Also, there are more reported cases of sexual assault in women than in men, which causes anxiety and worry; there are also higher risks of assaults in women than in men. Socially, women also experience more pressure than men since they are expected to have a successful professional carrier, be a mother, take care of the household, be active, and have way too many roles, while men are taking more roles and helping more in household shores, it is not the norm, and many women are left to worry and stress about it causing them anxiety.