The Psychology of Gender 4th Edition

392 Chapter 11

example, in a study of 2,754 men and women

from Tecumseh County, Michigan, men who

reported more social relationships and more

activities (e.g., attending voluntary asso-

ciations and going out to social events) were

less likely to die 9 to 12 years later (House,

Robbins, & Metzner, 1982). There were weak

trends in the same direction for women, but

they were not significant. Other studies have

found social network indices predict mortal-

ity among men but not women (Kaplan et al.,

1988; Schoenbach et al., 1986).

Some studies even show adverse ef-

fects of social networks on women’s health.

For example, Schoenbach and colleagues

(1986) found that their social network index

was associated withgreatermortality among

White women under the age of 60. In a study

in Sweden, a social network index was re-

lated to reduced mortality for both men and

women with one exception: For women be-

tween the ages of 65 and 74, the social net-

work index was associated with heightened

mortality (Orth-Gomer & Johnson, 1987).

The explanations for the lack of effects

and adverse effects of structural support on

women’s health often revolve around wom-

en’s social roles. The presence of a social

network for women is a double-edged sword

(Belle, 1982): It means more people are avail-

able to help women but also that more peo-

ple will turn to women for help. For example,

what happens in marriage when one person

has a chronic illness? Women are expected to

take care of the family whether they are the

caregiver or the patient. Social networks may

also expose women to additional sources of

stress, an issue that will be discussed in more

depth in Chapter 13. However, women also

may benefit from their role as support pro-

viders. A nine-year longitudinal study of

employees showed that men who received

more support than they provided had fewer

when they need it. Another reason has to do

with the perceptions others hold about wom-

en’s and men’s needs for support. People

assume that men do not want or need sup-

port and may be less likely to offer support

to men. Men also may not be as skilled as

women in activating support. Because men

have been reluctant to ask for help in the

past, they may be unsure about how to ob-

tain help when they really need it. Determine

why men and women at your school do not

seek support in Do Gender 11.1.

Evidence: Relations to Health

Structural Indices. A number of large epi-

demiological studies have evaluated the rela-

tion of social network indices to health. These

studies typically evaluate women’s and men’s

initial health status, measure aspects of their

social networks (group membership, church

attendance, frequency of contact with neigh-

bors, and, sometimes, marital status), and then

measure physical health years later. A number

of these studies show stronger health benefits

of social networks for men than women. For

DO GENDER 11.1

Social Support Seeking

Is it true that men are less likely than

women to seek support when they are hav-

ing problems? If so, why? Have a group of

women and men recall the last time they

experienced a stressful event. Then ask

them to rate how much they sought the

help of others. If they check a response

that indicates they did not seek help or

did not seek much help, ask them why.

Tally your responses to see if women’s and

men’s reasons for not seeking help differ.

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