Men's Contribution to Health Care Within the Family

Chapter 9: Men's Contribution to Health Care Within the Family

Description:

Traditionally, the providers of care and health care within the family have been women. Mothers and wives have also been the interface between the family, health care providers and a variety of sources of health information. Men may not have the desire to change their role within the family because that would challenge their appreciation of what it means to be masculine. There are also a number of hurdles created by society which need to be addressed by public health agencies and other health-related organisations if the transition to this new role is to be made easier and more widespread.

This chapter will explore the friction that exists between traditional masculine roles and the need to expand those roles in order to maximise the health status of the family.

Topics:

• The family
• Linking income to health status
  • Living on the bread-line
  • It takes time to make money
• Men’s contribution to health care
• Risk taking and role modelling
• Conclusion
• References

Author:

Tom Laws
Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife, Opthalmic Nursing Diploma, Bachelor of Economics Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing, University of South Australia

Tom Laws began his career as a registered nurse, specialising in acute care nursing and ophthalmology. After completing an Ophthalmic Nursing Diploma at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London he returned to Australia and studied midwifery. It was as a midwife that he became acutely aware of the limited knowledge that many fathers possessed in relation to childbirth and care of the mother and infant. From that point on he took a keen interest in the way men perceive, access and promote health.

A degree in economics from The University of Adelaide provided him with a basis for understanding how market forces affect the provision of health care services and how social and political forces shape the delivery and distribution of these services. He now teaches health economics to postgraduate students. His studies in the Department of Public Health at The University of Adelaide have resulted in the development of a thesis which looks at the ways and extent to which men feel they contribute to health care within the family.

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