I recently wrote about Anxiety and Coronavirus where I was giving an anthropologist's explanation (drawing on evolutionary psychology) for the origins of anxiety and how it had helped protect our species, homo sapiens, by making us alert to dangers from predators. When I circulated that piece, I mentioned that the evidence showed that more women suffer from anxiety disorders than men. I am not surprised that this has stirred up some interest. Gender difference (sexual dimorphism) is a fascinating topic and one we are all interested in as gender defines so much of our lives. However, as a consequence of historical discrimination and the search for equality, gender differences, whether biological or cultural, have become a difficult subject to engage with, often politicised and courting controversy.General anxiety (not medically treated anxiety) is not easy to measure objectively. However, the data for anxiety orders, where it is reported as a result of treatment by medical professionals, is quite clear: the World Health Organisation state that anxiety disorders are more common among females than males (4.6% compared to 2.6% at the global level). So, if it is recognised there is a gender difference between women and men suffering from anxiety what are the causes and what is the likely impact of the Coronavirus crisis?There appears to be a biological reason that more men than women are dying from Coved-19. It is argued that the XX chromosomes, along with the female hormone oestrogen, give women greater resistance to disease, through stimulating antibodies, whereas the XY chromosomes and the testosterone (male hormone) of the men may result in weaker immune systems. The natural biological state for humans is to be female (a simple piece of observable evidence is nipples on men), so to become male requires a more complicated process, relating to a mother's androgens (described as a 'male hormones' but found in both sexes). An evolutionary explanation for women's stronger biology is that females are more important than men as they bear, suckle the next generation, thereby sustaining the species. Men can help with genetic diversity which is biologically important for a species but without mothers' health, love and care for helpless human offspring homo sapiens would not have survived. Women in the evolutionary past were, therefore, the anchor of the family, and still are in the majority of cases. Along with the female's biological health advantage comes that psychological and practical responsibility for the next generation.I previously argued that the ultimate cause of anxiety is a lack of control and the uncertainty of the future. The Coronavirus pandemic has turned peoples' lives upside down: apart from the fear of catching the illness and possibly dying there is the lock-down, an economic crisis, leading to a loss of jobs, income; families across the globe are wondering how they will survive physically and financially and as ever it is the poorer people who suffer the most and where statistically there are likely to be more mental issues. I have recently received evidence for one sector of the devastating impact the virus is having on both genders mental health. I suspect once the data firms up it will demonstrate that it is women who are suffering more mental stress as they worry about the uncertain future.If the evolutionary theory of the importance of motherhood is correct is it no wonder women are more prone to anxiety than men. The good news for the female of the species is that you may not be physically stronger than males but you are biologically stronger and will outlive those pesky men!
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