Women's Health: Readings on Social, Economic, and Political Issues
Edition: 7
Copyright: 2022
Pages: 734
Edition: 7
Copyright: 2022
Pages: 732
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The seventh edition of Women’s Health: Readings on Social, Economic, and Political Issues reflects changing perspectives and ongoing interests in women’s health in the 21st century. The collection of classic and new readings remains true to the book’s mission and philosophy by offering a historical context about women, their environment, and health needs. The book’s new collection of readings introduces readers to innovative approaches around women’s health and alternative methods for health care, addresses reasons why health inequalities persist, and supports women’s advocacy. The book represents an interdisciplinary perspective of women’s worldviews, understanding the differences between sex and gender, as well as how socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic differences play a role in why some women have better access to health resources, giving them better health outcomes compared to other women—even when they become ill. Great attention is made to emphasize racial justice, cross-cultural, and gender-oriented perspectives of topics. Together the collection of readings, chapter essay questions, and the resources listed at the back of the book were selected to cross borders and create bridges. They complement other courses across the humanities, science, and management.
One goal of the book is to encourage readers to think about how health ramifications related to poverty, ageism, racism, anti-Semitism, heterosexism, fatphobia, violence, and disability impact women’s lives both as patients and as professionals in the health industry. Another goal is materials that inform and empower women so they may make better decisions about their health. This seventh edition includes:
- Ten chapters and eighty-six readings—with over fifty new readings as well as classic readings that are important to understanding the history and progress of women’s health and the women’s health movements.
- Traditional chapters that have been in all six editions. A redesign of previous chapters, and the addition of new chapters—Disability and Society; Menstruation and the Politics of Sex Education; Fertility, Childbirth, and Reproductive Justice; Aging, Ageism and Older Women’s Issues; and Politics of Disease and Alternative Modalities.
- A history of the women’s health movements with both classic readings and the latest information, inspiring women to get involved in today’s movement.
- A collection of women’s organizations, publications, and resources that provide scientific and culturally relevant information on women’s health needs.
- Both classic and new articles from the National Women’s Health Network, which inspires readers to get involved in the women’s health movement.
- Articles offer diverse perspectives and information on global women’s health, and on race, ethnicity, class, culture, and gender in the United States.
- Highlights socio-cultural, political, and economic themes that impact women’s health and access to services.
- Chapter essay questions to analyze and develop new inquiries regarding women’s health as well as to prepare for exams and essay papers.
- An updated directory of women’s health websites.
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1: Women, Their Health, and the Health Care System
Introduction
Diagnosing Gender Disparities in Health Care by Andrea Irwin
History of the Women’s Health Movement in the 20th Century by Francine H. Nichols
The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective and Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Brief History and Reflection by Judy Norsigian, Vilunya Diskin, Paula Doress-Worters, Jane Pincus, Wendy Sanford, and Norma Swenson
The Making of Our Bodies Ourselves: How Feminism Travels Across Borders by Kathy Davis
The Making of the “Women’s Physician” in American Obstetrics and Gynecology: Re-Forging an Occupational Identity and a Division of Labor by James R. Zetka, Jr.
I’m Too Used To it: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Third Year Female Medical Students’ Experiences of Gendered Encounters in Medical Education by Palav Barbaria, Sakena Abedin, David Berg, and Marcella Nunez-Smith
The Little Brown Woman: Gender Discrimination in American Medicine by Wasudha Bhatt
Discussion Questions
Chapter 2: Inequalities, Health, and Cultural Relevancy
Introduction
Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers by Nambi Ndugga and Samantha Artiga
Differences in Beliefs About the Causes of Health Disparities in Black and White Nurses by Susan Roberts-Dobie, Elana Joram, Michele Devlin, DeAnn Ambroson, and Joyce Chen
Health Disparities between Rural and Urban Women in Minnesota by Kim Tjaden
Bodies Don’t Just Tell Stories, They Tell Histories: Embodiment of Historical Trauma Among American Indians and Alaska Natives by Karina L. Walters, Selina A. Mohammed, Teresa Evans-Campbell, Ramona E. Beltrán, David H. Chae, and Bonnie Duran
Barriers to Healthcare Among Asian Americans by Wooksoo Kim and Robert H. Keefe
Women Finding the Way: American Indian Leading Intervention Research in Native Communities by Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, Josephine Chase, Jennifer Elkins, Jennifer Martin, Jennifer S. Nanez, and Jennifer J. Mootz
Community Participation for Transformative Action on Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health by Cicely Marston, Rachael Hinton, Stuart Kean, Sushil Baral, Arti Ahuja, Anthony Costello, and Anayda Portela
Sexual Minority Women’s Satisfaction with Health Care Providers and Statelevel Structural Support: Investigating the Impact of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Nondiscrimination Legislation by Aleta M. Baldwin, Brian Dodge, Vanessa Schick, Stephanie A. Sanders, and J. Dennis Fortenberry
Cultural Humility Versus Cultural Competence: A Critical Distinction in Defining Physician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education by Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garcia
The Human Rights Abuses Against Black and Brown Women Occurring at ICE Detention Facilities Must Stop by M. Isabelle Chaudry
Discussion Questions
Chapter 3: Sex, Gender Roles, and Images
Introduction
Frequently Asked Questions About Transgender People by The National Center for Transgender Equality
Sexing the X: How the X Became the “Female Chromosome” by Sarah Richardson
Transgender Youth: Providing Medical Treatment for a Misunderstood Population by Stephanie Brill and Jennifer Hastings
Trans Men’s Health is a “Women’s Health” Issue: Expanding the Boundaries of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care by Cameron Hartofeis and Anu Manchikanti Gomez
“I’m Not White, I Have to be Pretty and Skinny”: A Qualitative Exploration of Body Image and Eating Disorders Among Asian American Women by Sarah J. Javier and Faye Z. Belgrave
Consistently Inconsistent: A Review of the Literature on Eating Disorders and Body Image among Women of Color by Christina M. Capodilupo and Jessica M. Forsyth
Discussion Questions
Chapter 4: Medicalization, Marketing, and the Politics of Information
Introduction
Left to Their Own Devices?: FDA Regulation and Women’s Health by Valerie Leiter and Shelley K. White
Hormone Risk Throughout the Lifespan by Christina Cherel
Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game: Drug Pricing in America by Leigh Purvis
The Marketing and Politics Behind the Promotion of Female Sexual Dysfunction and its “Pink Viagra” by The National Women’s Health Network
The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles by Emily Martin
Is the Pope in Charge of Your Hospital Bed? By Sarah Christopherson
Discussion Questions
Chapter 5: Menstruation and the Politics of Sex Education
Introduction
Not Your Mother’s Meatloaf: An Inclusive Sex Education Resource by Mary Morrissey, Marissa Knaak, and Dawna Marie Thomas
Cadavers, Dolls, and Prostitutes: Medical Pedagogy and the Pelvic Rehearsal by Terrie Kapsalis
The Gynecologic Exam and the Training of Medical Students: An Opportunity for Health Education by Judith Schmidt
Exposed at Last: The Truth about Your Clitoris by Jennifer Johnson
Notes from the Back Room: Gender, Power, and (In)Visibility in Women’s Experiences of Masturbation by Breanne Fahs and Elena Frank
The Long Road to Long-term Treatment: Evaluating the State of Uterine Fibroids Medication by Eliana Kosova
If Men Could Menstruate: A Political Fantasy by Gloria Steinem
Primary Dysmenorrhea – Menstrual “Cramps” – Matters! by Mary Lou Ballweg
Scripting the Body: Pharmaceuticals and the (Re)making of Menstruation by Laura Mamo and Jennifer Ruth Fosket
Discussion Questions
Chapter 6: Disability, Society, and Inclusion
Introduction
Disability, Poverty, and Women of Color: Emerging Solutions to Disparate Health Outcomes by Allen Lewis, Carla Boutin-Foster, Anika Daniels-Osaze, and Lori Hoepner
“My Son Caught Autism”: Representation of Dis/Ability in the Korean Language and Culture by Hyun Uk Kim
A Cape Verdean Perspective on Disability: An Invisible Minority in New England by Dawna Marie Thomas
Mad Women or Mad Society: Towards a Feminist Practice with Women Survivors of Child Sexual Assault by Fiona Rummery
Preventing Suicide Among Older Adult Asian Women by K.O. Cao
The Paradox of Powerlessness: Gender, Sex, and Power in 12-Step Groups by Sandra L. Herndon
A Case Study: “If They Had A Cure I Would Not Take It”: African American Women Living with HIV/AIDS by Donna Marie Cole
A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Gender-Focused Addiction Model Versus 12-Step Facilitation for Women Veterans by Lisa M. Najavits, Justin Enggasser, Deborah Brief, and Edward Federman
Let Me Choose: Primary Caregiver Culture Humility, Racial Identity, and Mental Health for Multiracial People by Marisa Franco and Stacey McElroy-Heltzel
Discussion Questions
Chapter 7: Violence against Women and Their Health
Introduction
Power and Control Wheel by The Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence
Medical Power and Control Wheel and Medical Advocacy Wheel by The Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, Kenosha
Equality Wheel by The Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence
Sexual Terrorism by Carole J. Sheffield
Breaking the Silence by Megan Steffer
The Relationship Between Rape Myths and Sexual Scripts: The Social Construction of Rape by Kathryn M. Ryan
Exploring the Challenges Faced by Latinas Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence by Judy L. Postmus, Sarah McMahon, Elithet Silva-Martinez, and Corinne D. Warrener
Domestic Abuse and Brain Injury in Women by C. M. Shifflett
Responding to Delayed Disclosure of Sexual Assault in Health Settings: A Systematic Review by Stephanie Lanthier, Janice Du Mont, and Robin Mason
Administrative Response to Campus Sexual Assault: Thinking Through Implementation Tensions by Joy A. Clay, Anna C. Pederson, Jessica Seebeck, and Catherine A. Simmons
The Cabo Verdean Women’s Project: Reporting on Gender-Based Violence by Dawna Marie Thomas
Discussion Questions
Chapter 8: Fertility, Childbirth, and Reproductive Justice
Introduction
From “Last Resort” Fertility Treatment to Preventive Healthcare Strategy: An Analysis of the Development of Egg Freezing Technology by Elissa Zeno
Designer Babies and the Pro-Choice Movement by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow
Role of Stress in Low Birthweight Disparities Between Black and White Women: A Population-based Study by Shondra Loggins Clay and Flavia Cristina Drumond Andrade
Whose Bodies? Black Lives Matter and the Reproductive Justice Imperative by Sikivu Hutchinson
Latina Agenda for Reproductive Justice by Angela Hooton
Provision of No-Cost, Long-Acting Contraception and Teenage Pregnancy by Gina M. Secura, Tessa Madden, Colleen McNicholas, Jennifer Mullersman, Christina M. Buckel, Qiuhong Zhao, and Jeffrey F. Peipert
Engaging Promotora-Led Community-Based Participatory Research: An Introduction to a Crossover Design Focusing on Reproductive and Mental Health Needs of a Latina Community by Ada M. Wilkson-Lee, Alexandra M. Armenta, Velia Leybas Nuño, Martha Moore-Monroy, Allison Hopkins, and Francisco A. R. Garcia
Motherhood, Abortion, and the Medicalization of Poverty by Michelle Oberman
Discussion Questions
Chapter 9: Women’s Health Over a Lifespan
Introduction
Women and Aging: The Dreaded Old Woman Fights Back by Madge Sceriha
Mammography for Black Women: Why I Won’t Be Silent Anymore by Tracy A. Weitz
Reconceptualizing Successful Aging Among Black Women and the Relevance of the Strong Black Woman Archetype by Tamara A. Baker, NiCole T. Buchanan, Chivon A. Mingo, Rosalyn Roker, and Candace S. Brown
Menopause & Sexuality by The National Women’s Health Network
HIV/AIDS in Older Women: Unique Challenges, Unmet Needs by Ramani Durvasula
Women and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Global Epidemic by The Alzheimer’s Association
Proactive Caregiving: Legal, Financial, and Emotional Supports for Family Caregivers by Jennifer, L. Berger
DEXA Dilemmas: Clarifying Recommendations for Osteoporosis Screening by Caila Brander
Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Right to Decide? How Women’s Health Advocates Might Shape End-of-Life Policies by Ninia Baehr
Economic Inequality in Later Life by Karen D. Lincoln
Discussion Questions
Chapter 10: Politics of Disease and Alternative Approaches to Health Care
Introduction
Native American Perspectives on Health and Traditional Ecological Knowledge by Gwyneira Isaac, Symma Finn, Jennie R. Joe, Elizabeth Hoover, Joseph P. Gone, Clarita Lefthand-Begay, and Stewart Hill
Environmental Toxins Threaten Reproductive Health and Justice by Sara Alcid and Ansje Miller
Spirituality and Mental Health among Homeless Mothers by David R. Hodge, Stephanie E. Moser, and Michael S. Shafer
Performing Spiritual Healing in the Here and Now: Botánicas and Holistic Health Care by Angela Casteñeda
Developing a Culturally Competent Faith-Based Framework to Promote Breast Cancer Screening Among Afghan Immigrant Women by Mehra Shirazi, Aida Shirazi, and Joan Bloom
Nurse-Curanderas: Las Que Curan at the Heart of Hispanic Culture by Elaine Luna
Discussion Questions
Resources
Index
Dawna Marie Thomas, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies Departments at Simmons College. She teaches a cross section of courses that relate to women, gender, race, culture, family violence, and health and disability. Dr. Thomas' research interests include health and disability policy, racial/ethnic and gender disparities in health, and family violence. Her study Understanding Disability in the Cape Verdean Community: An Analysis of Race and Disability in Massachusetts was the first research conducted on disability in the Cape Verdean Community. The latest study The Cape Verdean Women’s Project includes four generations of Cape Verdean women throughout New England where she explores their experiences with family life, marriage, domestic violence, healthcare and disability, and concepts of womanhood. Dr. Thomas remains committed to culturally relevant pedagogy that integrates theory and practice to reduce health care and disability service disparities. Most of all she is dedicated to a philosophy that empowers those who are marginalized in our society – women, women of color, and people with disabilities.