GENDER AND HEALTH - SOME ASIAN EVIDENCE

In Thailand, like the U.S., women's higher rates of illness and health service use imply that they are ''sicker. '' But, as in the U.S., fem ales live longer than males. Based on a large representative sample of Bangkokians, we find that married women report more sickness, are mor e likely to utilize health services and, according to self-reports, ha ve poorer health. Western literature suggests five prominent explanati ons for gender differences in health: biological risks, acquired risks , psychosocial aspects of symptoms and care, health-reporting behavior , and prior health care and caretakers. However, analyses show that th ese explanations largely fail to account for morbidity differences bet ween Thai men and women. The observed gender differences in health amo ng Thais remain significant after eliminating pregnant women and new m others, and after controlling for several aspects of acquired risk. Pr oblems associated with the reproductive system among Thai women, along with greater psychological distress, appear to account for most of th e gender differences in health. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. As for the apparent contradiction between gend er differences in health and mortality in Thailand, the evidence indic ates that Thai men, like their American counterparts, suffer from more serious chronic ailments that may explain their higher mortality rate s.