How Paradigms Shape the Stories We Tell: Paradigm Shifts in Gender and Health

The stories we tell about the linkages between gender and health are shaped by the paradigms that guide our inquiries. Paradigms direct our attention away from certain phenomena and toward others. In particular, the dominant paradigms in the study of gender and health have promoted studies of differences, not similarities. Even in the face of strong challenges, many old paradigms persist. Continued reliance on flawed and insensitive paradigms is a major social issue. The aim of this article is to illustrate where we have come from, where we are now, and where we are heading in the study of gender and health. I will do this by tracking changes in the underlying paradigms that have shaped this research area, focusing on the literature in the area of gender and psychosocial factors, especially social‐role experiences, and stress‐related mental and physical health, to highlight changes that have taken place in these paradigms.