Essay Samples: Religion and Homosexuality, Gender and Health

The Quran teaches that homosexuality is an act of transgression because God created mates for both genders. Islam acknowledges that God created sex for procreation and thus same-sex actions are 'haram' (McGee, 2016). Hinduism and Buddhism share the same sentiments. Unlike Christianity, which has different opinions regarding homosexuality, all doctrines of Islam and Hinduism disapprove of homosexuality.

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Virtually all religions in the contemporary world condemn homosexuality. Religious teachings are at the pinnacle of human existence, and thus the psychology behind homosexuality is in most cases ignored. However, debates regarding homosexuality are prevalent in modern societies due to the enhanced awareness of human rights and freedoms. All religions agree that the role of sex according to the deity who created humans is procreation. Also, there is less focus on sexual activity between females as some religions lightly approve it. Religion inspires personal choices and dictates paradigms in societies.

What is the impact of Health issues concerning gender in the United States? Be specific and give examples.

Different genders have different health issues such as mortality, life expectancy and response to medical conditions. Men are known to have more adherence to diseases and harsh conditions compared to women. Despite men having a lower life expectancy than women in the United States, they do not endure many health risks in life. Generally, women experience more health issues due to their characteristics such as childbearing while most health issues in men are as a result of lifestyle and working conditions. Health issues concerning allow the U.S. to plan for its citizens in aspects such as minimum wage, retirement, and provision of healthcare services.

Women have a higher life expectancy compared to men. However, that does not guarantee healthy lives since female bodies are known to be delicate and vulnerable to pathogen attack (Koblinsky et al., 2018). Health issues concerning gender define the kind of employment that men and women acquire. Men are hardy and can work in harsh environments such as construction and manufacturing industries. On the other hand, females are delicate and mostly engaged in cosmetics and other light industries. Health issues related to gender thus affect the employment sector in the United States.

Men and women face biological changes in the course of growing up. Women have more health issues than men because they deal with aspects such as menstrual cycles after adolescence and later the medical problems associated with childbearing (Koblinsky et al., 2018). The health issues make women vulnerable to abuse in places of work that do not observe principles of health and safety. Health issues thus reduce the scope of abilities of women in the employment sector. For instance, when women finally attain childbearing age, they have to balance between work and family as they raise their children. That lifestyle affects their productivity in places of work causing women to earn considerably lower wages than men in the same field of employment.

Diseases and infections affect males and females differently (Nelson & Burke, 2018). For instance, the Parkinsons disease affects 50% more males than females. The disease is associated with neurological activity controlled by estrogen. Men produce no estrogen and thus are predisposed to the disease. The estrogen levels in women are affected by lifestyle choices such as birth control pills and pregnancy therapy. The fluctuating levels predispose them to diseases such as stroke explaining why more females than males suffer from a stroke in the United States. The disorders affect productivity both in society and employment. Society perceives men as strong and less likely to share their thought and stress with other people. This exposes men to stress and depression disorders since they are less likely to seek therapy and share emotions. Depression affects their productivity and may lead to extreme acts such as suicide and murder in society.

Men and women have different health issues in the United States. The health issues affect the productivity of men and women in places of employment as well as in social institutions such as family. Women are known to be more delicate, and their lifestyles call for more medical attention than men. The health issues hinder the achievement of gender equality in the United States. As much as society intends to reduce the gender gap, it should be acknowledged that men and women have different abilities. However, the health issues concerning gender should not be used to cause discrimination. Men and women have different skills in society, and no gender is superior to the other.

References

Boswell, J. (2015). Christianity, social tolerance, and homosexuality: Gay people in Western Europe from the beginning of the Christian era to the fourteenth century. University of Chicago Press.

Koblinsky, M. A., Campbell, O. M., & Harlow, S. D. (2018). Mother and more: a broader perspective on women's health. In The Health of Women (pp. 33-62). Routledge.

McGee, R. W. (2016). The Relationship between Religion and Views toward Homosexuality: An Empirical Study of 98 Countries.

Nelson, D. L., & Burke, R. J. (2018). Gender, work stress, and health. Routledge.

Stuart, E. (2017). Gay and lesbian theologies: Repetitions with critical difference. Routledge.