During Modules 2 and 3, you will have the opportunity to interview a female-identified and a male-identified individual regarding their perceptions about their own health as well as their experiences in the healthcare system, from the perspective of sex and gender. You will conduct one interview of a female-identified individual now in Module 2 that will be due at the end of Module 3. You will receive further instructions about conducting an interview with a male-identified individual in the next module. For now, concentrate on a female-identified individual - choose someone who is willing to sit with you and talk to you openly about their thoughts and experiences. This individual may be a family member, a friend, or a co-worker.
Give yourself enough time - make sure to start during Module 2 and submit your completed work in Module 3.
Here are the questions that should guide your interview:
- Tell me a little bit about yourself: work life, family life, interests.
- How involved would you say you are in researching information related to your own health?
- How involved would you say you are in researching information related to the health of other people in your life? Examples?
- What are the biggest concerns you have regarding your health? Now? In the future?
- How often do you consult with a healthcare professional?
- Complete the following sentence: I will make an appointment with a healthcare provider when ___________________.
- What usually causes you to make an appointment?
- Do you feel like your health-related habits are similar or different from other members of your sex? If so, in what way? If not, why? Any examples?
After completing your interview, write a paper of 2-3 pages in length. Your paper is to be organized in two parts that address the following:
Part I: Interview Summary
- Provide a brief description of the person you interviewed that includes demographic information. (i.e., age, occupation, family situation, marital status, etc.).
- Describe their involvement in gathering health-related information.
- Describe their relationship with the healthcare system, in terms of how often they interact with healthcare professionals and why.
- Describe their perceptions of how they compare to other members of their own sex.
Part II: Analysis
Base your analysis on Chapters Two and Three of the textbook. Based on the objective research discussed in these chapters:
- Discuss your perceptions of the individual you interviewed from the perspective of sex and gender.
- Describe how similar or different are the roles and behaviors of your interviewee compared to other members of their same sex.
- Support your opinions with examples of gender-related behaviors they discussed in the interview.