Gender and health inequalities: social networks in the context of health and health behavior

Overview
• There are significant differences in morbidity (incidence of disease) and mortality (death rate) between men and women.
• By puberty, male adolescents are more likely to have health problems.
• During puberty, girls suffer from chronic and mental illnesses and male adolescents are more likely to suffer from acute and life-threatening diseases (e.g., HIV).
• Boys and men have riskier health behavior.
• The field of research mainly relates to the binarity of the sexes—men and women. Studies on trans and queer persons are rare in this field.
• Networks have a gender-specific effect on risk behavior. Women provide more and more time-consuming social support, even in case of illness.
• After widowhood, networks have both negative and positive effects, which are gender-specific.