Men avoid doctors not to be seen as 'weak', says American researcher

The Minister of Health, Ricardo Barros, caused a controversy this week by claiming that men go to the doctor less than women because they work more.

His statement seems to have no basis in fact. IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) show that women work an average of five hours more than men in the week, since usually accumulate a job with more housework.

Research in the United States - a country where men also consult less than women - indicate that other element is behind this disparity: the cultural factor that associates with male characteristics like "bravery" and "self-sufficiency".

Educated to show strong men avoid medical care just for fear of being seen as weak, he told BBC Brazil one of the authors of these studies, Mary Himmelstein, a researcher at the University of Connecticut.

In one of her studies, she asked 491 people of both sexes about how much they agreed or disagreed with statements about the social role of men and women, the importance of bravery and self-sufficiency and reliability of doctors.

In addition, respondents also gave personal information about how often went to the doctor and how long it used to take to go to consult when they felt ill.

Crossing these data, Himmelstein and study co-author Diana Sanchez concluded that the more respondents identified with values ​​associated with masculinity culturally (bravery and self-sufficiency), the more they tended to minimize health problems and avoid medical appointments.

"Traditional beliefs about the social roles (each gender) contribute to the way our culture builds masculinity - that is, the messages we hear about how men are, as they should be and how they should act," said Himmelstein, in an interview by email.

"For men, these beliefs contribute to the idea that to be a 'good man', you need to be tough, brave and absolutely self-sufficient. The problem with these beliefs is to create barriers to ask for help, even in the face of disease and injuries, "added the researcher

                                                                          Luan Gabryel Santos- 9°A