Gender and Health Inequality

Abstract

This review synthesizes gender differences in U.S. health and systematically examines the attention that gender has received in the sociological literature on health disparities over the past three decades. Its goal is to map where we have been in order to identify new directions for sociological research. We begin by summarizing major differences in U.S. men's and women's health and by reviewing explanations for observed differences. We then assess the basis for this knowledge, namely publications in major sociology journals and funding by major granting agencies, focusing on both the quantity and substantive content of this work. We couch the discussion in the broader framework of the analysis of gender in sociology and conclude with promising avenues for future work.