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Is the story about sensitive women and stoical men true? Gender differences in health after adjustment for reporting behavior

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  • Oksuzyan, Anna
  • Dańko, Maciej J.
  • Caputo, Jennifer
  • Jasilionis, Domantas
  • Shkolnikov, Vladimir M.

Abstract

Research indicates that women have higher levels of physical disability and depression and lower scores on physical performance tests compared to men, while the evidence for gender differences in self-rated health is equivocal. Scholars note that these patterns may be related to women over-reporting and men under-reporting health problems, but gender differences in reporting behaviors have not been rigorously tested. Using Wave 1 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the present study investigates the extent to which adjusting for differences in reporting behavior modifies gender differences in general health. We also examine whether men and women's reporting behaviors are consistent across different levels of education. After adjusting for reporting heterogeneity, gender differences in both poor and good health widened. However, we found no clear gender-specific patterns in reporting either poor or good health. Our findings also do not provide convincing evidence that education is an important determinant of general health reporting, although the female disadvantage in poor health and the male advantage in good health were more apparent in lower than higher education groups at all ages. The results challenge prevailing stereotypes that women over-report and men under-report health problems and highlight the importance of attending to health problems reported by women and men with equal care.

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  • Oksuzyan, Anna & Dańko, Maciej J. & Caputo, Jennifer & Jasilionis, Domantas & Shkolnikov, Vladimir M., 2019. "Is the story about sensitive women and stoical men true? Gender differences in health after adjustment for reporting behavior," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 41-50.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:228:y:2019:i:c:p:41-50
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.03.002
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    2. Mine Kühn & Carlos Díaz-Venegas & Domantas Jasilionis & Anna Oksuzyan, 2021. "Gender differences in health in Havana versus in Mexico City and in the US Hispanic population," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 217-226, June.
    3. Alejandra Marroig, 2023. "Transitions across states with and without difficulties in performing activities of daily living and death: a longitudinal comparison of ten European countries," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Spitzer, Sonja & Shaikh, Mujaheed, 2022. "Health misperception and healthcare utilisation among older Europeans," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    5. Raskina, Yulia & Podkorytova, Olga & Kuchakov, Ruslan, 2022. "Health determinants and the reporting heterogeneity bias in Russia: Anchoring vignettes approach," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 66, pages 118-143.
    6. Alina Schmitz & Patrick Lazarevič, 2020. "The gender health gap in Europe’s ageing societies: universal findings across countries and age groups?," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 509-520, December.
    7. Santosh Jatrana, 2021. "Gender differences in self-reported health and psychological distress among New Zealand adults," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(21), pages 693-726.
    8. Bonsang, Eric & Caroli, Eve & Garrouste, Clémentine, 2021. "Gender heterogeneity in self-reported hypertension," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    9. Magdalena Muszyńska-Spielauer & Marc Luy, 2022. "Well-Being Adjusted Health Expectancy: A New Summary Measure of Population Health," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 1009-1031, December.
    10. Raquel Sánchez-Recio & Cristina García-Ael & Gabriela Topa, 2021. "Influence of Gender Determinants on Informal Care and Health Service Utilization in Spain: Ten Years after the Approval of the Equality Law," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Andreas Höhn & Anna Oksuzyan & Rune Lindahl-Jacobsen & Kaare Christensen & Rosie Seaman, 2021. "Gender differences in time to first hospital admission at age 60 in Denmark, 1995–2014," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 443-451, December.
    12. Etheridge, Ben & Spantig, Lisa, 2022. "The gender gap in mental well-being at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from the UK," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).

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