Gender, Age, and Gendered Age in Relation to Attitudes to One's Own Appearance and Health (Chosen Aspects)

The book presents the influence of cultural factors on people’s attitudes towards their own health and appearance. lnnovative concept of hierarchical organization of gender and culturally detined age and their influence on each other applied in the study allowed for application of a new sociological category, i.e. gendered age. Such an approach gave an opportunity to conduct an in-depth analysis of beliefs, opinions and behaviours of men and women of different ages regarding their own appearance and health. The empirical part of the book presents definitions of femininity and masculinity used by people in different age groups young, middle-aged and elderly. There was also characterized the level of respondents’ awareness of the influence of gender, age and gendered age on their appearance and health. Moreover, the nowadays of growing importance concept of human capital was used, in which health and appearance are defined as its resources. The book enhances general knowledge about the gender determinants of social phenomena and falls into such fields as gender studies, gender sociology, sociology of the body and health. lt is addressed not only to scientists - sociologists, anthropologists, cultural scientists, psychologists or physicians, but also to people interested in the issues discussed.

Introduction 7 Chapter 1. Theoretical and Methodological Introduction 11 1.1. Examining Attitudes Towards Health and Appearance from the Gender and Gendered Age Perspective Theoretical Concepts and Findings (Ewa Malinowska) 11 1.1.1. Cultural Models of Society, the Genderisation Process 11 1.1.2. Patriarchal Models of Gender 13 1.1.3. Gender in Relation to Health 16 1.1.4. The Concept of Gendered Age 17 1.1.5. The Framework Adopted in the Study of Attitudes 19 1.2. The Purpose, the Issues, and the Methodological Assumptions of the Study (Ewa Malinowska, Krystyna Dzwonkowska-Godula, Emilia Garncarek, Julita Czernecka, Joanna Brzezińska) 21 Chapter 2. Age Gendering as an Empirical Phenomenon 25 2.1. The Ideas of Young, Middle-Aged, and Old Women and Men (Joanna Brzezińska, Krystyna Dzwonkowska-Godula) 25 Chapter 3. The Attitudes of Women and Men of Different Ages to Their Physical Appearance 55 3.1. Cognitive Component 55 3.1.1. The Manner of Describing One’s Own Physical Appearance in Relation to Gender and Age (Julita Czernecka) 55 3.1.2. Reasons for Taking Care of One’s Physical Appearance Given by Women and Men of Various Ages (Ewa Malinowska) 70 3.2. Affective Component 79 3.2.1. The Assessment of One’s Own Physical Appearance in Relation to Sex and Age (Joanna Brzezińska) 79 3.3. Behavioural Component 97 3.3.1. Gender and Gendered Age in Relation to Activities Which Have a Beneficial Influence on One’s Appearance (Ewa Malinowska) 97 3.3.1.1. How Women and Men Take Care of Their Appearance Depending on Their Age 98 3.3.1.2. How Women of Different Ages Take Care of Their Appearance 110 3.3.1.3. How Men of Different Ages Take Care of Their Appearance 123 Chapter 4. The Cultural Genesis of Attitudes Towards One’s Own Appearance in the Awareness of Women and Men of Different Ages (Ewa Malinowska) 133 4.1. The Genesis of Attitudes Towards One’s Own Appearance in the Awareness of Women of Different Ages 134 4.2. The Genesis of Attitudes Towards One’s Own Appearance in the Awareness of Men of Different Ages 145 Chapter 5. Attitudes of Men and Women of Different Age Towards Their Health 155 5.1. Cognitive Component 155 5.1.1. Reasons for Taking Care of One’s Health Given by Men and Women of Various Age (Emilia Garncarek) 155 5.2. Affective Component 169 5.2.1. The Evaluation of One’s Own Health in Relation to Gender and Age (Krystyna Dzwonkowska-Godula) 169 5.3. Behavioural Component 183 5.3.1. Pro-Health Behaviour and Gender (Emilia Garncarek) 183 Chapter 6. The Cultural Genesis of Attitudes Towards One’s Own Health in the Awareness of Women and Men of Different Ages (Krystyna Dzwonkowska-Godula) 207 6.1. The Genesis of Attitudes Towards One’s Own Health in the Awareness of Women of Different Ages 208 6.2. The Genesis of Attitudes Towards One’s Own Health in the Awareness of Men of Different Ages 220 Conclusions 243 Bibliography 249