522 Chapter 13illness. The reasons for these adverse as-
sociations, however, differ. After reading
this section, use Do Gender 13.6 to see if a
gender-role framework helps you understand
how someone adjusts to chronic illness.Male Gender Role
A number of years ago, an episode of a news
program was aired that depicted a man who
had been diagnosed with a chronic illness—
heart disease. The man with heart disease suf-
fered a heart attack but resisted his physician’s
instructions to reduce his stress, to slow down,
and to take life a little easier. Instead, this man
reacted against the physician’s instructions
and against his newfound vulnerability, heart
disease, by proving he was just as strong as be-
fore and worked even longer hours to main-
tain his business. He was very concerned about
maintaining a macho image. The man suffered
a second, more debilitating heart attack. Ironi-
cally, he was so impaired by the second heart
attack that he lost the business he was trying so
hard to save. If he had followed his physician’s
instructions the first time, he might not haveillness is that they continue to assume caregiv-
ing responsibilities and their spouses are not as
skilled as caregivers. Husbands may not be as
supportive as wives when their spouses are ill
because they are less familiar with the caregiver
role. Women who are ill continue to provide
support to their spouses, whereas men who are
ill focus more on themselves (Revenson et al.,
2005). A study of men and women with heart
disease showed that women were less likely
than men to have help with household chores
when they returned home from the hospital
(Boutin-Foster & Charlson, 2007). This lack
of instrumental assistance was associated with
an elevated rate of depression in women com-
pared to men. A study of elderly women with
osteoarthritis showed that husbands were less
likely to provide support when the women
expressed symptoms of pain—suggesting that
men may be more likely than women to with-
draw from the caregiver role (Stephens et al.,
2006). A meta-analytic review of couples with
cancer showed that women are more distressed
than men whether they are the patient or the
spouse (Hagedoorn et al., 2008).
Are there sex differences in how children
adjust to chronic illness? Williams (2000) found
that adolescent girls with diabetes and asthma
adapted better to their illness than adolescent
boys. The girls incorporated their illness into
their social identities, whereas the boys did not.
Girls shared their illness with friends, whereas
boys hid their illness from friends because they
viewed the illness as a threat to their identity.
The boys compartmentalized the illness so it
had little effect on other aspects of their lives.
One framework that can be used to
understand how women and men adjust to
chronic illness is a gender-role perspective.
Chronic illness poses different challenges
for men and women, in terms of traditional
roles. Both the traditional male gender role
and the traditional female gender role may
make it more difficult to adjust to chronicDO GENDER 13.6
Gender Roles and
Chronic IllnessInterview two female and two male col-
lege students who had a chronic illness as
a child. Common chronic illnesses during
childhood are diabetes, asthma, and cancer.
Ask them a series of open-ended questions
to find out how the illness affected their
lives—relationships with parents, relation-
ships with friends, leisure activities, school-
work, self-esteem. After the interview, view
the participants’ responses from a gender-
role perspective. Did any of the effects of the
illness seem to be related to gender roles?M13_HELG0185_04_SE_C13.indd 522 6/21/11 12:55 PM