The Pharmaceuticalization of Female vs. Male Sexual and Reproductive Health
STUDENT NAME : TUMELO RATLADI
STUDENT NO. 709834
TUTORIAL NO. 5
SOCL 1016
ESSAY TOPIC: COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE PHAMARCEUTICALIZATION OF FEMALE AND VERSUS MALE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH.
When it comes to the interaction of males and females with social structures in society, a degree of inequality has always been existent. Many times the female gender bears the brunt of these inequalities. Cultural ideologies drive these inequalities, and shape our ways of being and views on life’s situations; particularly evident when it comes to the issue of sexual and reproductive health. These phenomena have gained significant amounts of popularity with the evolution of time. And have also been subject to much social construction. It is from those constructions that the pharmaceuticalization of sexual and reproductive health arose. This essay will look at sexual and reproductive health as social constructs, and discuss the impact of these social constructions on pharmaceuticalization and how they have influenced it. The essay will also explore the differences in how sexual and reproductive health have been pharmaceuticalized in male and females, and the possible reasons behind it
Pharmaceuticalization is a process which is intimately linked with medicalisation. In this way these two phenomena could be defined as processes by which more and more of society’s social problems have come to be seen and described under medical terms, and hence medical interventions have been put forth as solutions for these problems (Zola, 1983, p. 295). Hence we can say that one is as is by the influence of the other, pharmaceuticalization driving and sustaining medicalisation (Conrad 1981). However the medicalisation of society is as much a result of medicine’s potential as much as it is society’s desire for medicine to use that power (Zola, 1972, p 182). Given this statement, it can therefore be argued that the society’s ideas, culturally motivated or otherwise, have a lot to do with
STUDENT NO. 709834
TUTORIAL NO. 5
SOCL 1016
ESSAY TOPIC: COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE PHAMARCEUTICALIZATION OF FEMALE AND VERSUS MALE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH.
When it comes to the interaction of males and females with social structures in society, a degree of inequality has always been existent. Many times the female gender bears the brunt of these inequalities. Cultural ideologies drive these inequalities, and shape our ways of being and views on life’s situations; particularly evident when it comes to the issue of sexual and reproductive health. These phenomena have gained significant amounts of popularity with the evolution of time. And have also been subject to much social construction. It is from those constructions that the pharmaceuticalization of sexual and reproductive health arose. This essay will look at sexual and reproductive health as social constructs, and discuss the impact of these social constructions on pharmaceuticalization and how they have influenced it. The essay will also explore the differences in how sexual and reproductive health have been pharmaceuticalized in male and females, and the possible reasons behind it
Pharmaceuticalization is a process which is intimately linked with medicalisation. In this way these two phenomena could be defined as processes by which more and more of society’s social problems have come to be seen and described under medical terms, and hence medical interventions have been put forth as solutions for these problems (Zola, 1983, p. 295). Hence we can say that one is as is by the influence of the other, pharmaceuticalization driving and sustaining medicalisation (Conrad 1981). However the medicalisation of society is as much a result of medicine’s potential as much as it is society’s desire for medicine to use that power (Zola, 1972, p 182). Given this statement, it can therefore be argued that the society’s ideas, culturally motivated or otherwise, have a lot to do with
Bibliography: Conrad (1981) In Society ,health and disease Gilbert et al. Pan Macmillan SA 2009 M. Payke The health magazine, Female condom use June 2 1997 (133-6) http://www.ncbi.n/m.nih.gov Zola (1971) in Society, health and Disease Gilbert et. al Pan Macmillan SA 2009