Even though women are making great strides in higher education,
business, and the military, some stubborn gender roles still remain
strong. Little girls, unlike little boys, are generally encouraged
(or required) to stay as neat and tidy as possible.
And one researcher who studies science and gender differences
thinks that emphasis on clean may contribute to higher rates of
certain diseases in adult women.
The link between increased hygiene and sanitation and higher rates
of asthma, allergies and autoimmune disorders is known as the
“hygiene hypothesis” and the link is
well-documented.
Yet the role of gender is rarely explored as part of this
phenomenon.
Clough offers a new explanation.
She documents a variety of sociological and anthropological research showing that our society socializes young girls differently from young boys. In particular, she notes, girls are generally kept from getting dirty compared to boys.
“Girls tend to be dressed more in clothing that is not supposed to get dirty, girls tend to play indoors more than boys, and girl’s playtime is more often supervised by parents,” said Clough, adding that this is likely to result in girls staying cleaner.
She says this difference in the types and amounts of germs girls and boys are exposed to could explain some of the health differences found between women and men.
However, Clough points out this doesn’t mean parents should let their daughters go out to the backyard and eat dirt.
Hygiene hypothesis
“What I am proposing is new ways of looking at old
studies,” she said. “The hygiene hypothesis is
well-supported, but what I am hoping is that the epidemiologists
and clinicians go back and examine their data through the lens of
gender.”
The “hygiene hypothesis” links the recent rise in
incidence of asthma, allergies, and autoimmune disorders such as
Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, with particular
geographical and environmental locations, in particular urban,
industrialized nations.
Many scholarly studies have noted as countries become more
industrial and urban, rates of these diseases rise. For instance,
the rate of Crohn’s disease is on the rise in India as
sanitation improves and industrialization increases.
The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has noted that asthma prevalence
is higher among females (8.9 percent compared to 6.5 percent in
males) and that women are more likely to die from asthma.
The National Institutes of Health statistics show that autoimmune
diseases strike women three times more than men.
A report by the Task Force on Gender, Multiple Sclerosis, and
Autoimmunity shows that among people with multiple sclerosis and
rheumatoid arthritis, the female to male ratio is between 2:1 and
3:1.
And with Lupus, a chonic, autoimmune disease that can damage any
part of the body, nine times as many women are affected as
men.
Clough is a philosopher of science and epistemology, with a
particular focus on feminist theory and gender differences. The
focus of her work is to study scientific research and look for the
implicit or hidden assumptions that guide that research.
She believes the link between hygiene, gender and disease is not
just a fluke.
“We are just now beginning to learn about the complex
relationship between bacteria and health,” she said.
“More than 90 percent of the cells in our body are microbial
rather than human. It would seem that we have co-evolved with
bacteria. We need to explore this relationship more, and not just
in terms of eating ‘pro-biotic’ yogurt.”
That’s why Clough does not recommend that parents let their
daughters get super dirty. Just one gram of ordinary uncontaminated
soil contains 10 billion microbial cells, so the effects of
ingesting dirt are unknown.
“We obviously do not yet know enough to differentiate between
helpful and harmful bacteria,” she said.
However, Clough said she can easily join in the chorus of voices of
health experts who say that more outdoor time for kids is good --
even if that means the kids get a little dirty.
“Getting everyone, both boys and girls, from an early age to
be outdoors as much as possible is something I can get
behind,” she said.
