What is a gender approach and how does it affect ageing?

People tend to use the terms “sex” and “gender” without difference. If the two terms are connected, they are not synonyms. NESTORE partners are adopting a gender-sensitive approach to healthy ageing so that the virtual coach they are developing eventually delivers accurate advices for all users. We explain you why.

People are born female or male but learn to be girls and boys who grow into women and men. When sex is assigned (female or male), people tend to adopt certain behaviours that are usually expected from their group. This learned behaviourmake up gender identity and determines gender roles.

A person’s gender is the complex interrelationship between three dimensions: body (how we feel our body and how society interacts with it), identity (how we express our self and what roles we assume and internalize) and expression (how we present and shape our gender in the society).

Women and men have different life and health experiences due to biological, psychological, economic, social, political and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female (1). Indeed, these differences can impact not only their health status but also their wellbeing or how they experience ageing. Because of this, in many countries, governments and institutions are progressively acknowledging gender differences in contexts such as: education, labour market, health, technology, etc.

It is important to note that, over the last century, societal views have evolved on gender roles and stereotypes about what people can and should do or how families divide the work. When it comes to older adults, these changes might be more easily adopted by some than others who grew up at a time where gender roles were interpreted differently.

Read more:

The gender approach in NESTORE: nutritional coaching

The gender approach in NESTORE: physical coaching

The gender approach in NESTORE: cognitive coaching

The gender approach in NESTORE: social coaching

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