NURS 220 Study GuideAuthor Title Topic Main Idea and themes DefinitionsHooks “Feminist

Politics: where we stand”

Intro Basic history of feminism Sexism is the heart of the

matter Clear definitions are

important to the movement

Feminism: a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression

Reformist: want to alter existing system to give women more rights

Revolutionary: want to transform existing system to end patriarchy and sexism

Kane-low and Schuiling

“Women’s health from feminist perspective”

Intro Exploring women’s health compared to men’s

Exploring how gender affects process of providing health care services

Social construction of gender’s creates undue health risks for women

Feminist perspective in women’s health:

1. Work with women not for them

2. Heterogeneity as assumption, not homogeneity

3. Minimize/expose power imbalances

4. Reject androcentric models as normative

5. Challenge medicalization/pathologizing of normal physiologic processes

6. Seeks social and political change to address women’s health issues

Health disparities for women of color and low income

Gender assumptions negatively impact health

Gender: self-representation as man or woman or who that person is responded to by social institutions based on gender presentation. Rooted in biology and shaped by environment/experience

Sex: the classification of living things as man or woman according to reproductive organs and functions assigned by chromosomal complement

Biology: study of life and living organisms, including genetic molecular biochemical hormonal cellular physiological behavioral and psychological aspects of life

Social construction: process by which societal expectations of behavior become interpreted or ascribed as innate characteristics that are biologically determined

Oppression: not having a choice

Health (WHO definition

care How do we define health?

(social, environmental factors)

Women’s health from a feminist perspective strategies

1946): state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Valenti “You’re a hardcore feminist, I swear”

Intro We’re all afraid to admit that we’re feminists because of unappealing stereotypes

Feminism: belief in the social political and economic equality of the sexes or the movement organized around this belief

Truth “Ain’t I a

Woman”Intro Commentary on the

discourse about “rights” Uses herself as an example

of how women are equal to men in more ways then men want to think

Questions what intellect has to do with rights?

Torres “Simple explanation of social construction”

Intro Women’s movement challenges socially constructed ideas

Spit vs saliva

Social: by people Construction: created/given

meaning Social construction: an

agreed-upon meaning by a group of people or society given to something

Steinem “If Men Could Menstruate”

Anatomy/Phys

Example of men being able to menstruate and using it as a form of power over women

The characteristics of the powerful are thought to be better than the characteristics of the powerless

Muscio “Blood and Cunts”

Anatomy/Phys

Shame and discretion surrounding natural feminine processes

Pathologizing Opposes how society has

convinced women that we should remain oblivious to

our bodiesValenti “Feminists Do

it better”Influences on Women’s expressions of sexuality

Women should take responsibility and control of our bodies to make informed decisions about sexuality

We shouldn’t be ashamed of having sex

Why do women allow penises to define their sexuality?

Binomial thinking (virgin vs slut)

Oppression of women’s sexual expression

Oppression of knowledge available to women through abstinence programs

Social constructions of women’s sexuality influence women’s expressions of sexuality

Glasford and Huang

“Immigrant Women’s health: a casualty in the immigration policy war”

Health disparities

Consequences of broken immigration system, economic exploitation and violence is multitude of reproductive health disparities for immigrant women

Policy recommendations: ensure better education, equitable access to family planning services, legal and safe immigration options

Equality: being treated exactly the same

Equity: Being treated in the most fair and circumstantial way

Example: Equality is giving everyone a free pair of size 10 shoes and equity is giving everyone a free pair of shoes in their size

Gamble “Under the shadow of Tuskegee”

Health disparities

African americans distrust health institutions and public health

Several factors have influenced and continue to influence attitudes toward the biomedical community

Jones “Levels of Racism”

Health Disparities

The variable “race” is not a biological construct that reflect innate difference,

Institutionalized Racism: differential access to the goods, services, and

but a social construct that precisely captures the impacts of racism

Three levels: institutionalized, personally mediated, and internalized

Institutionalized – differential access to quality education, housing, employment, medical facilities, and a clean environment – lack of access to power

Personally Mediated – intentional or unintentional, acts of commission or omission, maintains structural barriers, condoned by societal norms – manifests as lack of respect suspicion, and everyday avoidance

Internalized Racism: reflects systems of privilege, societal values, erodes individual sense of value, undermines collective action – accepting limitations – manifests in embracing of “whiteness”

“The Gardener’s Tale” – importance of environment

Institutionalized racism is the most fundamental of the 3 levels and must be addressed for important change to occur

Who is the gardener?o Government –

power to deice, act, control of resources

o Dangerous when allied with one

opportunities of society by race – legalized – manifests in inherited disadvantage

Personally Mediated Racism: prejudice and discrimination, where prejudice means differential assumptions about the abilities, motives, and intentions of others according to their race and discrimination means differential actions toward others according to their race

Internalized Racism: acceptance by members of the stigmatized races of negative messages about their own abilities and intrinsic work

group, or not concerned about equity

McIntosh “Unpacking the Knapsack of White Privilege”

Health Disparities

White privilege is denied and protected, though it is acknowledged that racism puts others at a disadvantage

Privilege such as this simply confers dominance because of one’s race or sex

Unearned advantage – being privileged without having to work for it

Silence and denial surrounding privilege are key political tools – keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete, protecting unearned advantage and conferred dominance by making these taboo subjects

Obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the U.S., so to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all

Open question whether we will chose to use unearned advantage to weaken hidden systems of advantage and whether we will use any of arbitrarily-awarded power to reconstruct power systems on a broader base

Shange “With no immediate cause”

Violence against

Poem about the abuse against women by men from physical to sexual

Very violent and graphic –

women

emphasizing the fact that this happens every day – every 3, 5, and 10 minutes

Campbell “Health Consequences of intimate partner violence”

Violence against women

Theme – abuse has numerous consequences on a woman’s health that can last all of her life there are physical, mental, and emotional health effects

Intimate partner violence is one of the most common causes of injury in women

Injuries, fear, and stress associated with intimate partner violence can remain for the remainder of one’s life

Gynecological problems are the most consistent, longest lasting, and largest physical health difference between battered and non-battered women

Abuse during pregnancy – threat to health and risk of death of the mother, fetus, or both from trauma

Mental health effects – Depression and PTSD most common in intimate partner violence

Use of Medical Care – poorer overall mental and physical health, more injuries, and more consumption of medical care including prescriptions and admissions in hospital in abused than non-abused women

The Lolita Effect

“Violence is Sexy”

Violence against

Media is constantly connecting women and violence

o Ex. Violence in

women

horror films against women just after a “sexual scene”

Video games and music videos also connect women with violent situations

Message that is being sent is that “violence is sexy”

Many teens believe violence in a relationship is acceptable

What we can do: do not ignore or trivialize violent media content, encourage group discussion, use visual and internet tools, reach out to boys as activists

Chernik “The Body Politic”

Body image

Societal opinions give women an unrealistic ideal for a body image – feel like we have to fit a certain type and focus all of our attention on reaching an unattainable goal

“I observed a woman held up by her culture as the physical ideal because she was starving, self-obsessed and powerless, a woman called beautiful because she threatened no one but herself”

“When we deny ourselves physical food, we go hungry emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and politically. We must challenge ourselves to eat and digest, and allow society to call us too big. We will understand their message to mean too powerful.”

Yancey “Obesity at a Body Women who are poor, of

crossroads” image color, and lesbian are at higher risk for obesity

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions – huge increase in obesity

Contributes to various common chronic diseases including heart attack, stroke, postmenopausal breast cancer, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.

Social and economic factors rather than solely individual choices are the underlying cause of the rapidly increasing proportion of overweight and obese people

Prevention policies and programs will be much more effective than individual weight loss strategies in reversing the precipitous increase in overweight, obesity, and their negative health counterparts

Food that is fattening is much cheaper than its healthier counterparts, physical activity has decreased due to many factors including technology, and people have become more sedentary

Less healthful eating and physical activity patterns in some demographic groups, seems to be due to social and physical environment differences

Fast food is very easy to get to and appealing to working families who have

children because they know their children will enjoy the food and it’s quick and easy – targets neighborhoods with people of color

Television watching – ethnic differences in the valuation of thinness influence the decisions of advertisers and casting agents, distorting television “reality” – women of color may see it more acceptable to be overweight because various characters show that obesity is normative in the black community, thereby influencing teens’ body image ideals