Gender Expectations: Impact on Mental Health

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Introduction

Gender expectations established during early childhood significantly influence health and wellbeing in later adolescence and even adulthood. This may lead to stereotypical attitudes towards girls and even unequal access to resources, promoting gender inequality. Gender norms, which portray men as dominant and strong, may discourage them from expressing their emotions. The rigid gender expectations make it impossible for them to get help when needed, leading to poor mental health and even higher suicide rates compared to girls. Traditional gender expectations are detrimental to the health and wellbeing of both adolescent girls and boys.

Causes of Australia’s High Rates of Suicide

I believe that the high suicide rates in Australia may be caused by several factors, among them mental illnesses. According to research, about 4.8 million Australians suffer from mental disorders, with the most affected group being individuals aged 15-24 years (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2020). This suggests that the prevalence of mental disorders among a significant population in the country may cause increased suicide rates. Such predominance of mental illnesses may explain why mood disorders, such as depression, were connected to 40.3% of all suicide deaths in Australia in 2020 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2021). In many cases, individuals with psychological disorders often experience negative and distorted thinking that makes them feel they cannot cope with their challenges, thus opting for a quick end. They may also experience a low sense of self-worth and hopelessness and a belief that bad things will happen to them in the future. Such feelings may be overwhelming, resulting in emotional distress and causing the individuals to attempt suicide to end the anguish.

Alcohol and substance abuse may be the leading causes of suicide in Australia. Approximately 29.3% of all suicide deaths in Australia in 2020 were linked to substance abuse (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2021). The use of alcohol and other substances lowers individuals’ inhibitions, predisposing them to risky behaviors like acting on suicidal thoughts (Esang & Ahmed, 2018). Similarly, I believe that the use or misuse of alcohol or drugs may lead to impulsivity and impaired judgment. This implies that individuals under the influence of alcohol or other drugs are not in their rational minds and hence can act recklessly, causing self-harm. Therefore, alcohol and substance misuse predisposes individuals to suicide because they impair a person’s rationality.

Stressful life events are key contributors to suicide among Australians. Individuals experiencing bereavement, divorce, or separation have an increased risk of suicide due to the amounting stress (Buchman-Schmitt et al., 2017). Additionally, other factors such as unemployment, work stress, exposure to violence, and physical diseases may act as triggers for suicide, particularly among vulnerable people. For instance, in 2020, the unemployment rate in Australia increased to 6.2% especially following the Covid-19 pandemic (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020). Such widespread unemployment is bound to cause feelings of hopelessness among individuals, especially if they cannot provide for their families. Such emotions may make them feel unworthy and helpless, leading to suicidal behaviors. It is important to note that stressful life events are not limited to adults only but also to adolescents. The social stressors among adolescents may be due to challenges adapting to new physical and emotional changes, parental discord, exposure to violence or suicide, or parental neglect (Hill et al., 2020). Such factors may cause significant stress to the adolescents resulting in suicide because many young people may be reluctant to request help.

How Future Practice Could Address Some of the Social Causes of Suicide Risk

I believe that counseling can be fundamental in addressing mental health disorders, substance abuse, and diverse stressful life events. Different therapeutic approaches have proven effective in addressing these risk factors, thus reducing the risk of suicide. In this case, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective methods to help individuals suffering from mental health illnesses overcome their negative thinking patterns and establish effective coping mechanisms (Luo et al., 2020). CBT may also be used among individuals experiencing stressful life events such as bereavement, divorce, unemployment, and work stress. I firmly believe that talking to a counselor about one’s problems like separation or unemployment may relieve some stress, thus lowering the risk of suicide. Similarly, counselors can motivate their clients to cope with their problems or find alternative solutions. Therefore, different therapeutic methods can help individuals navigate life issues, such as unemployment, thus lowering suicide risk.

Alcohol and substance abuse can also be addressed through counseling. Addiction predisposes individuals to negative thoughts, impulsivity, and depression, increasing their susceptibility to suicide. Nevertheless, I think that various behavioral therapies, whether individual, family, or group therapy, can be used to solve the underlying causes of the addiction, whether mental disorders, genetics, or history of abuse (Ray et al., 2020). In addition, the affected individual may be referred to rehab services to overcome their substance use disorders (SUD). Thus, different counseling approaches combined with rehab and other treatment techniques may help address different SUDs hence lowering the risk of suicide.

Australia has been experiencing high rates of suicide, particularly among the youth. The major contributors to suicide include mental disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, and stressful life events, such as unemployment, divorce, work stress, grief, and exposure to violence. I believe that CBT is effective in lessening the risk of suicide. This is because it assists individuals in overcoming their negative thinking patterns and adopting positive thinking and better coping mechanisms. Therefore, therapy is fundamental in countering suicidal thoughts, which reduces the risk of suicide.

The Challenges for Adolescents Who Resist the Gender Expectations of Their Parents

I believe parents influence impressions of what it means to be a girl or boy by placing stiff gender norms on children from a tender age. These gender roles are intended to shape and influence children’s beliefs and behaviors for social acceptance. For this reason, the onset of puberty is usually followed by significant sanctions and increased pressure to conform to hegemonic sex-based roles and identities. Adolescents resisting or defying the gender expectations of their parents may be ostracized or punished for violating those values. A report shows that restricting boys’ and girls’ behaviors is key in defining masculine and feminine identities (Basu et al., 2017). Therefore, as they enter adolescence, especially girls, modesty is imparted as a desirable norm.

In this context, some of the major manifestations of defiance may involve girls displaying masculine behavior, such as gender inappropriate clothing. Adolescent boys who behave like girls may also face disapproval, stigmatization, ridicule, or exclusion (Coffey & Kanai, 2019). These negative sanctions on behavior may increase the risk of suicide and substance abuse and reduce the life expectancy compared to girls, particularly if they are trying to challenge masculine norms. Therefore, it is evident that parents need adolescents to conform to instilled gender expectations, and those who violate these values are severely punished, stigmatized, or excluded.

Gender expectations impact children or adolescents in a variety of ways. Young people may experience mental health problems as they try to conform to gender norms to fit in and gain social status. Gender practices enforced by the separation of young children when they reach puberty leads to significant health problems, including depression, violence, and victimization (Saewyc, 2021). For example, gender values portraying men as strong may discourage them from sharing their emotional problems because they are told not to show weakness from an early age. As a result, this makes it impossible for them to get help when needed, leading to poor mental health and even higher suicide rates compared to girls (Blum et al., 2017). This contributes to major mental health challenges because men usually resort to violence to cope with their problems.

During puberty, adolescent girls and boys are usually segregated into their expected responsibilities and gender roles in many societies. Young girls are usually assigned more household chores with less freedom to have leisure and interact with other sexes. On the other hand, young boys tend to have fewer tasks and more space to socialize or play. These unequal gender expectations and norms have uneven health risks for both genders.

Girls are usually left more vulnerable to reproductive and sexual health risks. This might explain why 27% of adolescent girls are married by 18 years, while 11% are already mothers (Mmari et al., 2021). Conversely, boys are more likely to experience mental illnesses, such as behavioral disorders and drug abuse, than their female counterparts (Mmari et al., 2021). The social contexts in which adolescents are nurtured significantly determine their health and wellbeing. For example, unequal gender values have been linked with an increased agency or decision-making for boys and a lower agency for girls (Saewyc, 2021). These traditions are typically used to justify violence against women. This is because norms often dictate that males are dominant and controlling while their counterparts are subservient and depend on them as providers.

These traditions usually promote a culture of abuse, such as sexual harassment and gender-based violence. As a result, adolescent girls are more likely to report depression than boys (Koenig et al., 2021). Poor mental health has lifelong ramifications for economic and educational trajectories. Girls are likely to experience low self-esteem, poor concentration, and even lack of interest, considerably affecting their self-image, confidence, and academic performance, making it difficult to succeed. Gender expectations negatively impact young girls’ socioeconomic empowerment because these norms influence beliefs or views of the appropriate roles females and males should play at home or in society. This might explain why most adolescent girls are less educated and may also have low employment, property-owning opportunities, and access to healthcare than their counterparts. This implies that girls are more likely to live in poverty than boys and have poor health outcomes. Therefore, unequal gender norms are characterized by limited autonomy, exploitation, and exposure to distress associated with caretaking and household responsibilities that affect girls’ mental health and wellbeing more than boys.

Conclusion

Gender expectations negatively impact the health and wellbeing of both adolescent boys and girls worldwide. Although these traditions favor boys, they are also affected because they are discouraged from expressing their feelings. Consequently, gender values often lead to damaging behaviors, such as drug abuse, to manage these opposing impulses. Men may be reluctant to seek help leading to depression and high suicide rates, and even physical aggression against women. I believe CBT is the most effective psychological approach for treating behavioral challenges that teenagers who resist the gender expectations of their parents may experience. It is also essential in helping those experiencing mental problems manage their conditions and change how they think and behave.

References

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Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Causes of death, Australia. Web.

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Coffey, J. & Kanai, A. (2019). Gender and sexualities. In J. Germov & M. Poole (Eds.), Public sociology: An introduction to Australian society (pp. 263-281). Routledge.

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Koenig, L., Blum, R., Shervington, D., Green, J., Li, M., Tabana, H., & Moreau, C. (2021). Unequal gender norms are related to symptoms of depression among young adolescents: A cross-sectional, cross-cultural study.Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(1), S47-S55. Web.

Luo, C., Sanger, N., Singhal, N., Pattrick, K., Shams, I., & Shahid, H. et al. (2020). A comparison of electronically-delivered and face to face cognitive behavioural therapies in depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine, 24, 100442. Web.

Mmari, K., Cooper, D., Moreau, C., Koenig, L., Martinez, M., & Mafuta, E. et al. (2021). The social context of early adolescents in the global early adolescent study.Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(1), S5-S15. Web.

Ray, L., Meredith, L., Kiluk, B., Walthers, J., Carroll, K., & Magill, M. (2020). Combined pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for adults with alcohol or substance use disorders. JAMA Network Open, 3(6), e208279. Web.

Saewyc, E. (2021). The next phase of the global early adolescent study: Measuring how gender norms and gender inequality intensify and influence health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(1), S1-S2. Web.

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