The plight of women and their health
We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored. — Sheryl Sandberg
For centuries the policing of women’s bodies has been facilitated through various cultural practices, as well as through numerous institutions such as the medical and legal professions. Women continue to face discrimination; from being denied access to an education to being subjected to forced sterilisation and other human rights abuses made possible through the system of patriarchy.
Historically, medicine has always been male-dominated. Health care gender bias has had a very long history from Aristotle’s distinction between the superior male “form” and the inferior female “matter” to the medieval notion that women were unbalanced due to their wombs. Despite the fact that more women have broken through the proverbial class ceiling and have entered the medical profession, women’s health still lags behind their male counterpart.
The system of patriarchy in which masculinity is valued more than femininity forms the foundation upon which women are treated in an inferior manner. Sexism has also contributed immensely to the sexual objectification a significant number of women encounter during their lifetime. We live in an era of “stifling” masculinity in which the culture in most societies can and quite often is offensive and demeaning to women. Many women have suffered in silence and many continue to do so out of fear no one will believe them or just out of fear for their lives. Disturbingly, some of the same professionals who are supposed to be upstanding men and who are to offer counsel also abuse women. The experiences of women are often overlooked and discounted at the doctor’s office. Many women suffer unnecessarily as their health concerns are usually passed off as premenstrual syndrome (PMS)-related.
Recently, a female colleague shared a bit of her story regarding how the medical fraternity discounts the health concerns of women: “I was 24 years at the time and was referred to this doctor. I remember an older doctor fondled me. It was so bad. After fondling me, he collected [payment] for his job and told me that I should come back in a few weeks.”
When asked if she reported the matter, she said: “I told my husband, but that was it. I was also too ashamed from being violated. I just thought it was my fault.”
Many experts agree that a lot of women blame themselves for being sexual assaulted. Women who have similar experiences need to get some counselling to help them move on.
My friend suggested that a #MeToo platform might be needed for women who have suffered at the hands of male doctors.
“The fact that women are often molested in medical examinations is frightening,” she added.
Forced sterilisation
Another way in which women’s bodies have been policed over the years is though forced sterilisation. Women historically have been subjected to coordinated efforts to control their fertility, including sterilisation abuse. Sterilisation abuse includes situations in which a woman is not aware that she is being sterilised. Institutionalised inducement of sterilisation of women is documented. In an earlier survey of Puerto Rican residents it was discovered that one-third of all mothers, ages 20-49 were sterilized.
In some jurisdictions women are also pushed towards having hysterectomies and tubal ligations rather than discussing with them other medical options. Native American as well as black women have been targeted for this procedure over the years as a mean of population control. It bears thought that due to the fact that women in general, and women from minority groups tend to be less educated, many are coerced and deceived into signing consent forms. Women suffer disproportionately from misinformation, and in many instances are told that the procedure of sterilisation is reversible.
Researcher Alex Stern, in the book Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Breeding in America, wrote: “In the early twentieth century across the country medical superintendents, legislators and social reformers affiliated with an emerging eugenics movement joined forces to put sterilisation laws on the books. Such legislation was motivated by crude theories of human hereditary that posited the wholesale inheritance of traits…”
Cultural practices
The policing of women’s bodies have become normalised in many societies and cultures. This systematic bias towards the control of the movement and expression of women is done through various institutions. Legislators, who are predominantly men, have used State laws and policies, educational institutions, and even the workplace to creatively exert power and control over women and their right to expression.
Women are told what is appropriate to wear from an early age. Even within the education system girls are forced to wear some ridiculous floor-length uniforms to school. There is no research which shows any correlation with the length of one’s uniform to learning. The length of one’s uniform has nothing at all to do with the right to an education. The policing of a woman’s bodies have become so pervasive that it is in fact a rite of passage in most societies. In societies where women have been so wronged it is imperative that a culture of reproductive justice and reproductive rights be embraced. There is a need to revisit sex education. Sex education needs to be mainstreamed throughout the education system, from the early childhood level to the upper secondary level.
In the society, women who are unable or unwilling to have children often face discrimination and stigma, and are mocked and called humiliating names such as “mules”. The society is one in which motherhood is viewed as the ultimate ideal for womanhood, and as such the society thinks less of women who, for whatever reason, chooses not have to have a child. Women’s reproductive health and access to contraception methods are avenues which the State uses to police women’s bodies. The Maternity Act which is restricted to three births is another tool used to police the bodies of women.
Church and religion
The Church has played a significant role in the policing of women’s bodies. In I Timothy 2: 9-10, the apostle Paul wrote “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
Interestingly, the Bible does not address how men should or should not dress.
Historically women have always been viewed as the seductress and temptress; after all, it was Eve who influenced her husband Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
A female colleague commented, “Some of the stories are appalling when you hear how meetings are called to discuss whether or not a female in the church is deserving of baptism, membership, etc, just because of the dress code…” She continued, “Yes, remember when a woman gets pregnant she has to leave the Church or sit at the back bench,” noting though that with more competition for church membership some of these procedures and rules have been relaxed by some churches. This, she has concluded that the structures established within the church are major contributors to not only the policing of women’s bodies, but how women see themselves and each other. She concludes that women are judged by what they wear and membership and active participation is afforded or denied based on how the female dresses.
In many Islamic societies, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, women have very little say. Women are required to wear the burqa in public. The burqa is the most concealing of Islamic veils. It is a one piece veil which covers the face and body, often leaving a mesh like screen to see through. There is also the Hijab which is worn by Muslim women which covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear. There is also the Niqab, which is a veil for the face but leaves the eyes clear. While all versions of Islam suggest that a woman should dress modestly, only Saudi Arabia and Iran have legally imposed a dress code. Islamic cultures tend to have some of the strictest limitations for the female gender. Women in Saudi Arabia are required to obtain permission from their male guardians to do various tasks, including travel, education and employment. In fact, in Saudi Arabia there is a special branch of the force, called Religious Police, which monitors and ensures women stay in line. Men control all aspects of women in Saudi Arabia, and as a result female subordination has become normalised. The Sharia law provides an unequal environment for women and undermines the principles of gender equality and human rights as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The way forward
There must be a concerted effort by the State and all partners to educate women, especially younger women who are on the verge of starting their careers regarding how to protect themselves from sexual abuse and exploitation. As a society we need to move from a culture of over-diagnosis to a culture in which medicine and medical care is personalised, taking into account the peculiarities of each patient. As a society, we need to engage more with pop culture to ensure that more messages which empower, uplift and are positive are produced for all sexes.
We all need to look at the curriculum across the primary and secondary levels of the education system and ensure that there is an infusion regarding how to treat with gender-based violence. The society must ensure that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are achieved, specifically goals dealing with poverty, quality education and gender equality.
There must be willingness for the State to engage women’s group and advocates to discuss matters of concern to women. The time for strong and decisive social activism against gender-related violence has long gone. The society needs to tap into the voices of women who are often muted, to move ahead in tackling issues of gender and development.
As said by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an associate justice of the US Supreme Court, women belong in all places where decisions are being made… It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.
#healthcare #womenshealth #technology #patriarchy #medicine #gender #society #culture #reproductivejustice #sexeducation #feminism #masculinity #MeToo #Islam #Christianity #SDGs
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and/or gender issues. send comments to the Observer or waykam@yahoo.com.