Discourses on women’s health

 

Health ‘needs’ of women

• Main focus was on reproduction

‘pelvic approach’
assessments based on middle-class criteria
reductionist approach to women’s biology
cult of motherhood and family life throughout society
women’s life cycle – 3 most important stages
puberty, maternity, menopause

 

Discourses produced by

• male and female medical practitioners
• social investigators (eg. voluntary charity workers, male and female)
• central and local government officials
• feminists (eg. Fabian Women’s Group, Women’s Co-operative Guild)

 

Medical theories about women’s health

• position of medical practitioners
• problematic theories about women’s health
• many explanations
• expectations of ‘invalidism’
• backlash against increasing activity, education and employment of women?

 

Social investigations

• types of data
• problems

 

State intervention in the welfare of the family

• surveillance of working-class mothers
• fears of ‘race’ inferiority
• whose health and welfare was more important – mothers or male children?