Macho men don't live as long as other guys (call them what you will).
Guys who play into rigid gender roles are less likely to see the doctor when they are sick, get regular check-ups, stress tests, colonoscopies, and the biggie, prostate exams.
A Rutgers University research team surveyed 1,000 middle-aged American men and asked them to rate their agreement with such macho beliefs as "When a husband and wife make decisions about buying major things for the home, the husband should have final say;" and "It bothers me when a man does something that I consider 'feminine.'"
Men who strongly endorsed macho ideals were 26 percent less likely than other participants to have received a physical exam in the prior year, nearly 30 percent less likely to have completed a prostate exam and nearly 50 percent less likely to have obtained all three preventive services in the prior year.
While previous research has shown higher socioeconomic status promotes better health, the new research found that wasn't the case for the manly men.
Interestingly, macho beliefs did not correspond to occupation. White collar Gordon Gekko types did worse than traditionally macho jobs such as machine operators, truck drivers and construction workers. They were more likely to go to the doctor than men with higher-status and income jobs.
So all you Alan Alda/Hugh Grant types, know that you can kick Rocky Balboa's butt in the boxing ring of life. And you still may get the girl!
be765652-47dc-4540-bffd-144b675f6fa7|2|4.5
Tags:
macho men,
men's health,
men's life expectancy
Categories:
Men's health