Relatos da pandemia: ser mulher e mãe em tempos de covid-19 / Pandemic reports: being a woman and mother in covid-19 times / Relatos de la pandemia: ser mujer y madre en tiempos del covid-19

Partindo da pergunta "Como tem sido ser mulher e mãe em tempos de pandemia?", o presente estudo convidou mulheres que são mães, em redes sociais virtuais, a partilhar um relato de suas experiências com a readaptação parental em função do distanciamento social causado pela pandemia de covid-19. O objetivo foi refletir sobre a experiência de ser mulher e mãe em tempos de covid-19 e distanciamento social, apontando algumas ressonâncias do cenário pandêmico na subjetividade dessas mulheres. O estudo teve como base o referencial psicanalítico, tanto na construção da pesquisa e análise dos relatos quanto na sua discussão. A análise dos cerca de 340 relatos coletados, os quais variaram de uma breve frase a longos parágrafos, apontou para uma série de questionamentos, pontos de análise e reflexões. A pandemia, e o decorrente distanciamento social, parece ter colocado uma lente de aumento sobre as angústias das mulheres que são mães, evidenciando sentimentos e sofrimentos sempre presentes. Destacaram-se, nos relatos, a sobrecarga das mulheres com as tarefas de cuidado dos filhos e da casa, a culpa, a solidão, a exaustão, e o sentimento de que não havia espaço nesse contexto para "ser mulher", sendo isso entendido especialmente a questões estéticas e de vaidade.(AU)

Starting from the question "How does it feel to be a woman and a mother in pandemic times?", this study invited women who are mothers, in virtual social networks, to share their experiences regarding parental adaptations due to social distancing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to reflect on the experience of being a woman and a mother in the context of COVID-19 and of social distancing, pointing out some resonances of the pandemic scenario in the subjectivity of these women. The study was based on the psychoanalytical framework, both in the construction of the research and analysis of the reports and in their discussion. The analysis of about 340 collected reports, which ranged from a brief sentence to long paragraphs, pointed to a series of questions, analysis topics, and reflections. The pandemic, and the resulting social distancing, seems to have placed a magnifying glass over the anguish of women who are mothers, showing ever-present feelings and suffering. The reports highlighted women's overload with child and house care tasks, the guilt, loneliness, exhaustion, and the feeling that there was no space in this context to "be a woman," and it extends to aesthetic and vanity related questions especially.(AU)

A partir de la pregunta "¿cómo te sientes siendo mujer y madre en tiempos de pandemia?", este estudio invitó por las redes sociales a mujeres que son madres a compartir un relato de sus experiencias sobre la readaptación parental en función del distanciamiento social causado por la pandemia del covid-19. Su objetivo fue reflexionar sobre la experiencia de ser mujer y madre en tiempos del covid-19 y el distanciamiento social, señalando algunas resonancias del escenario pandémico en la subjetividad de estas mujeres. Este estudio se basó en el marco psicoanalítico, tanto en la construcción de la investigación y análisis de los informes como en su discusión. El análisis de los casi 340 relatos, que variaron de una pequeña frase a largos párrafos, generó en las investigadoras una serie de cuestionamientos y reflexiones. La pandemia y el consecuente distanciamiento social parece haber agrandado las angustias de las mujeres que son madres, evidenciando sentimientos y sufrimientos siempre presentes. En los relatos destacan la sobrecarga de las mujeres con las tareas de cuidado de los hijos y del hogar, la culpa, la soledad, el cansancio, así como el sentimiento de que no hay espacio em este contexto para "ser mujer", relacionado principalmente a cuestiones estéticas y de vanidad.(AU)

Encarceramento feminino: um debate entre criminologia e perspectivas feministas / Female incarceration: a debate between criminology and feminist perspectives / Encarcelamiento femenino: un debate entre la criminología y las perspectivas feministas

Este ensaio teórico-reflexivo tem como objetivo discutir sobre as contribuições dos estudos da criminologia e sua crítica para as diversas formas de aprisionamento feminino, e mais atualmente para o encarceramento em massa no sistema prisional, além de abrir espaço para o debate sobre as diferentes perspectivas feministas e as relações com os estudos criminológicos, sobretudo com os posicionamentos da chamada criminologia crítica. Reconhecem-se importantes avanços e conquistas feministas no debate sobre a estruturação masculinizada do direito penal e do seu fazer jurídico, mas também a manutenção de diversas formas de violência de gênero que configuram um sistema penal antropocêntrico, seletivo, racista e discriminatório. Indica-se a urgência de estudos interseccionais que considerem as particularidades e reinvindicações das mulheres no cárcere e suas formas de militância, sobretudo diante de população carcerária feminina composta majoritariamente por mulheres negras, pobres e periféricas. Faz-se visível a necessidade de uma análise dos fatores que atravessam o encarceramento feminino por uma ótica feminista plural, adequada às realidades que se estudam e atenta às múltiplas perspectivas que podem existir dentro do feminismo.(AU)

This theoretical-reflexive essay aims to discuss the contributions of criminological studies and their critique of the various forms of imprisonment of women, and more recently of mass incarceration in the prison system, in addition to opening space for the debate on the different feminist perspectives and their relations with criminological studies, especially with the positions of the so-called critical criminology. Important feminist advances and conquests are recognized in the debate about the masculinized structure of penal law and its legal practice, but also the maintenance of diverse forms of gender violence that configure an anthropocentric, selective, racist, and discriminatory penal system. It indicates the urgency of intersectional studies that consider the particularities and claims of women in prison and their forms of militancy, especially in the face of the female prison population composed mostly of black, poor, and peripheral women. The need for an analysis of the factors that cross women's imprisonment from a plural feminist perspective, adequate to the realities under study and attentive to the multiple perspectives that may exist within feminism, becomes visible.(AU)

Este ensayo teórico-reflexivo pretende discutir las aportaciones de los estudios criminológicos y su crítica a las distintas formas de encarcelamiento femenino, y más recientemente de encarcelamiento masivo en el sistema penitenciario, además de generar debate sobre las distintas perspectivas feministas y sus relaciones con los estudios criminológicos, especialmente con las posiciones de la Criminología Crítica. Se reconocen importantes avances y logros feministas en el debate sobre la estructuración masculinizada del derecho penal y su práctica jurídica, además del mantenimiento de diversas formas de violencia de género que configuran un sistema penal antropocéntrico, selectivo, racista y discriminatorio. Se necesitan estudios interseccionales que consideren las particularidades y reivindicaciones de las mujeres en prisión y sus formas de militancia, principalmente ante la población penitenciaria femenina compuesta mayoritariamente por mujeres negras, pobres y periféricas. Se hace evidente la necesidad de analizar los factores que inciden en el encarcelamiento femenino desde una perspectiva feminista plural, adecuada a las realidades que se estudian y atenta a las múltiples perspectivas que pueden existir dentro del feminismo.(AU)

Nurturing the Female Body: Notions of Wellbeing in Womb Yoga.

Alternative therapies which aim to enhance women's wellbeing have been accused of contributing to healthist and postfeminist agendas which rest upon a neoliberal logic. I critically engage with this issue here through an ethnographic study of womb yoga, a women's alternative therapy developed in the UK. I argue that while being commercial and emphasizing personal responsibility, womb yoga largely works against the current neoliberal optimization ideal. Womb yoga practitioners dismiss goal-oriented self-management and discipline, and avoid a simple reproduction of gender stereotypes by deflecting care away from other-directedness and opening the interpretation of femininity to the imaginative and experiential realms.

Reproducing normative femininity: Women's evaluations of their birth experiences analysed by means of word frequency and thematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Given the significance of the birth experience on women's and babies' well-being, assessing and understanding maternal satisfaction is important for providing optimal care. While previous research has thoroughly reviewed women's levels of satisfaction with the childbirth experience from a multitude of different angles, there is a dearth of papers that use a gender lens in this area. The aim of this study is to explore through a gender perspective the circumstances attributed to both women's assessment of a positive birth experience and those which contribute to a lack of satisfaction with their birth experience. METHODS: Through the use of a local birth evaluation form at a Swedish labour ward, 190 women gave written evaluations of their birth experiences. The evaluations were divided into groups of positive, ambiguous, and negative evaluations. By means of a latent and constructionist thematic analysis based on word count, women's evaluations are discussed as reflections of the underlying sociocultural ideas, assumptions, and ideologies that shape women's realities. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: Grateful women and nurturing midwives doing gender together demonstrates how a gender-normative behaviour may influence a positive birth experience when based on a reciprocal relationship. Managing ambiguous feelings by sympathising with the midwife shows how women's internalised sense of gender can make women belittle their negative experiences and refrain from delivering criticism. The midwifery model of relational care impeded by the labour care organisation describes how the care women receive during labour and birth is regulated by an organisation not always adapted to the benefit of birthing women. CONCLUSIONS: Most women were very satisfied, predominantly with emotional support they received from the midwives. The latent constructionist thematic analysis also elicited women's mixed feelings towards the birth experience, with the majority of negative experiences directed towards the labour care organisation. Recognising the impact of institutional and medical discourses on childbirth, women's birth evaluations demonstrate the benefits and challenges of gender-normative behaviour, where women's internalised sense of gender was found to affect their experiences. A gender perspective may provide a useful tool in unveiling gender-normative complexities surrounding the childbirth experience.

Body- and symptom-related concerns in women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome: A gap in symptom management.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder among women aged from 18 to 40 years. Its debilitating menstrual/obesity-related symptoms challenge conceptions of femininity. To date, age-related differences in women's body esteem and physicians' symptom management recommendations have not been investigated. Age moderated the relationships between symptom concerns and both sexual attractiveness and physical condition, but only for midlife, not for emerging adult women. Midlife women received holistic management information from physicians, while emerging adult women received weight management information. This study highlights the need for physician training to manage women's health and age-targeted body acceptance interventions for women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Gender Modifies the Association of Cognition With Age-Related Hearing Impairment in the Health and Retirement Study.

Introduction: Despite growing recognition of hearing loss as a risk factor for late life cognitive disorders, sex and gender analysis of this association has been limited. Elucidating this is one means to advocate for holistic medicine by considering the psychosocial attributes of people. With a composite Gender Score (GS), we aimed to assess this among aging participants (50+) from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) cohort. Methods: The GS was derived from gender-related variables in HRS by factor analyses and logistic regression, ranging from 0 (toward masculinity) to 100 (toward femininity). GS tertiles were also used to indicate three gender types (GS tertile 1: lower GS indicates masculinity; GS tertile 2: middle GS indicates androgyny; GS tertile 3: higher GS indicates femininity). Univariate followed by multiple logistic regressions were used to estimate the Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of cognitive impairment (assessed by adapted Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status) from hearing acuity, as well as to explore the interactions of sex and gender with hearing acuity. The risk of cognitive impairment among hearing-impaired participants was assessed using multivariable models including sex and gender as exposure variables. Results: Five variables (taking risks, loneliness, housework, drinking, and depression) were retained to compute the GS for each participant. The distribution of GS between sexes partly overlapped. After adjusting for confounding factors, the OR for cognitive impairment associated with hearing impairment was significantly higher (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.15), and this association was not modified by female sex (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.46, 1.27), but by androgynous gender (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.81). In the multivariable models for participants with hearing impairment, androgynous and feminine gender, as opposed to female sex, was associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment (OR of GS tertile 2 = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.84; OR of GS tertile 3 = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.87; OR of female sex = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.57, 1.08). Conclusions: Hearing impairment was associated with cognitive impairment among older people, and this association may be attenuated by a more feminine GS.

Sport student teachers' discourses about female athletes in mixed martial arts / Discursos de estudantes de licenciatura em desporto acerca das mulheres atletas de artes marciais mistas / Discursos de estudiantes universitarios en el deporte sobre atletas femeninas de artes marciales mixtas

Abstract The historical-cultural process of sport influenced and was influenced by the spaces that men and women have occupied in society by (re)assuring norms and creating cracks. That is how the female body enters the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This study analyses discourses over the participation of women athletes in MMA. Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups with students (16 men and 9 women) from the Sports Student Teacher Program of a university located in northern Portugal. QSRNvivo 12 Pro was used for content analysis. MMA is dissociated as a sport and seen as a harmful practice for female fighters' health, although they recognize it as a female achievement. The inclusion and growing presence of female fighters in MMA is a victory and shapes new relationships with their bodies and femininities.

Resumo O processo histórico-cultural do esporte foi influenciado pelos (e influenciador dos) espaços que homens e mulheres foram ocupando na sociedade ao reafirmar normas e também provocar fissuras. E assim, o corpo feminino adentra no Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). O estudo analisa discursos acerca da participação das mulheres atletas no MMA. Foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa através de grupos focais com estudantes (16 homens e nove mulheres) da licenciatura em Desporto de uma instituição do norte de Portugal. Fizemos a análise de conteúdo com apoio do software QSRNvivo 12 Pro. Há uma desassociação do MMA enquanto esporte, reconhecendo-o como prática nociva à saúde das lutadoras, embora seja identificado como uma conquista das mulheres. A inserção e a crescente presença de lutadoras no MMA caracterizam uma vitória e configura novas relações com seus corpos e feminilidades.

Resumen El proceso histórico y cultural del deporte fue influenciado e influye en los espacios de ocupación de hombres y mujeres en la sociedad al (re) afirmar las normas y también causar grietas. Y así, el cuerpo femenino ingresa a las Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA). El estudio analiza discursos sobre la participación de atletas en MMA. Se realizó una investigación cualitativa a través de grupos focales con estudiantes (16 hombres y 9 mujeres) de la licenciatura en deporte en una institución en el norte de Portugal. Hicimos el análisis de contenido con el apoyo del software QSRNvivo 12 Pro. Hay una disociación del MMA como deporte, reconociéndolo como una práctica perjudicial para la salud de los luchadores, aunque lo identifica como un logro femenino. La inserción y la creciente presencia de luchadores en MMA caracteriza una victoria y da forma a nuevas relaciones con sus cuerpos y feminidades.

Women athletes and mixed martial arts: a qualitative systematic review / Mulheres atletas e artes marciais mistas: uma revisão sistemática qualitativa / Mujeres atletas y mezcla martial arts: una revisión sistemática cualitativa

The inclusion of women athletes in combat sports breaks social stereotypes and shows new looks on femininity. This investigation aims to reflect on the state of the art of women athletes in Mixed Martial Arts. We searched databases with the specific descriptors MMA and Women, Qualitative / Essay / Interview / Discourse. After the readings and inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sample comprised eight studies, resulting in three categories: Masculinity and being a woman; The body in / out of the octagon; Physicality of female athletes. It is possible to verify that fighters subvert the speech of heteronormativity, fight and construct a social visibility beyond their body spectacularization.

A inserção das atletas nos esportes de combate rompe estereótipos sociais e revela novos olhares sobre a feminilidade. O estudo reflete o estado da arte da presença das mulheres atletas no Mixed Martial Arts. Realizamos uma busca de estudos em bases de dados com os descritores específicos MMA e Women, Qualitative/ Essay/ Interview/ Discourse. Após as leituras e seguindo critérios de inclusão e exclusão, oito estudos compuseram a amostra, resultando tais categorias: A masculinidade e o ser mulher; O corpo in/out no octógono; Fisicalidade das mulheres atletas. É possível verificar que que as lutadoras subvertem o discurso de heternonormatividade, lutam e constroem uma visibilidade social para além da espetacularização dos corpos.

La inserción de las atletas en los deportes de combate rompe estereotipos sociales y revela nuevas visiones sobre la feminidad. El estudio refleja el estado del arte de la presencia de las mujeres atletas en Mezcla Marcial Arts. Se realizó una busqueda, en bases de datos, con los descriptores específicos MMA y Women, Qualitative/ Essay/Interview/Discourse. Después de analizar, siguiendo criterios de inclusión y exclusión, ocho estudios compusieron la muestra, resultando en las categorías: La masculinidad y el ser mujer; El cuerpo in / out en el octógono; Anatomia de las mujeres atletas. Es posible verificar que las luchadoras subvierten el discurso de heternonormatividad, luchan y construyen una visibilidad social más allá de la espectacularización de los cuerpos.

Artes marciais mistas e a apresentação corporal de lutadoras no instagram / Mixed martial arts and the body presentation of fighters in the instagram

RESUMO Objetivamos explorar a interpretação de imagens de lutadoras de artes marciais mistas (MMA) postadas no Instagram. Nos apoiamos nos debates pós-estruturalistas, especialmente aqueles que tratam do corpo e gênero. Para a coleta de dados, utilizamos dois grupos focais com estudantes universitários(as), um constituído por mulheres e outro por homens. A partir de uma análise de conteúdo, quatro categorias discursivas emergiram das interações grupais. Evidenciamos a permanência de estereótipos usuais sobre a participação da mulher no esporte, com o olhar dos homens tendencioso para a objetivação do corpo das lutadoras. As mulheres mostraram-se mais sensíveis às feminilidades plurais. A tendência de comparação entre atletas masculinos e femininos foi observada em ambos os grupos. Constata-se que a autoapresentação das lutadoras negocia, em certa medida, com a inconformidade de uma feminilidade hegemônica no espaço do Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

ABSTRACT We aim to explore the interpretation of images of mixed martial arts fighters (MMA) posted on Instagram. We rely on poststructuralist debates, especially those dealing with body and gender. For data collection, we used two focus groups with college students, one made up of women and the other of men. From a content analysis, four discursive categories emerged from group interactions. We highlighted the permanence of the usual stereotypes about women's participation in sport, looking at how men have biases due to the objectification of the fighters' bodies. Women were more sensitive to plural femininities. The trend of comparison between male and female athletes was observed in both groups. The debate about the plural femininity was accepted, to some extent by the groups but other opinions also existed showing some resistance to the self-representation of the fighters regarding the non-conformity of hegemonic femininity in the UFC space.

A qualitative study about the gendered experiences of motherhood and perinatal mortality in mountain villages of Nepal: implications for improving perinatal survival.

BACKGROUND: We aim to examine the gendered contexts of poor perinatal survival in the remote mountain villages of Nepal. The study setting comprised two remote mountain villages from a mid-western mountain district of Nepal that ranks lowest on the Human Development Index (0.304), and is reported as having the lowest child survival rates in the country. METHODS: The findings are taken from a larger study of perinatal survival in remote mountain villages of Nepal, conducted through a qualitative methodological approach within a framework of social constructionist and critical theoretical perspectives. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 42 women and their families, plus a range of healthcare providers (nurses/auxiliary nurses, female health volunteers, support staff, Auxiliary Health Worker and a traditional healer) and other stakeholders from February to June, 2015. Data were analysed with a comprehensive coding process utilising the thematic analysis technique. RESULTS: The social construction of gender is one of the key factors influencing poor perinatal survival in the villages in this study. The key emerging themes from the qualitative data are: (1) Gendered social construct and vulnerability for poor perinatal survival: child marriages, son preference and repeated child bearing; (2) Pregnancy and childbirth in intra-familial dynamics of relationships and power; and (3) Perception of birth as a polluted event: birth in Gotha (cowshed) and giving birth alone. CONCLUSIONS: Motherhood among women of a low social position is central to women and their babies experiencing vulnerabilities related to perinatal survival in the mountain villages. Gendered constructions along the continuum from pre-pregnancy to postnatal (girl settlement, a daughter-in-law, ritual pollution about mother and child) create challenges to ensuring perinatal survival in these villages. It is imperative that policies and programmes consider such a context to develop effective working strategies for sustained reduction of future perinatal deaths.

"De corpo e alma": histórias de mulheres acometidas por câncer / "Body and soul": stories of women argued by cancer

Objetivo: conhecer os sentimentos vivenciados pelas mulheres após a descoberta do câncer. Método: estudo qualitativo, descritivo e exploratório, respaldado na História Oral Temática. Realizaram-se entrevistas semiestruturadas com mulheres com câncer e o material empírico foi analisado pela análise temática e apresentado por eixos temáticos. Resultados: emergiram três eixos temáticos: 1) Entre tristeza e coragem: sentimentos de mulheres frente ao diagnóstico de câncer; 2) Reconhecendo o corpo após o diagnóstico do câncer; 3) Dificuldades enfrentadas por mulheres com câncer: superando desafios. Conclusão: as mulheres apresentaram sentimentos de tristeza, isolamento, de resiliência e ressignificação diante da vida. A maioria obteve modificações no corpo em virtude da doença impactando, de forma negativa, a feminilidade. Dentre as dificuldades enfrentadas, além do preconceito, elas sofreram com a exclusão e abandono após o diagnóstico. Percebeu-se a necessidade de pesquisas que busquem compreender o universo feminino perante a luta do câncer considerando que a compreensão e o enfrentamento da doença são influenciados pelo gênero.(AU)

Concepción sociocultural del climaterio en Occidente / Concepção sociocultural do climatério no Ocidente / Sociocultural conception of climacteric in the West

Introducción: Incluir la perspectiva socio-cultural en el cuidado de las mujeres es clave para alcanzar una buena salud integral. El modelo biomédico ha obviado estos factores en el estudio del climaterio, de modo que se ha creado una nueva patología femenina, el Síndrome Climatérico. Objetivo principal: Reflexionar desde la perspectiva feminista, sobre la dimensión sociocultural Occidental del climaterio. Metodología: Se presenta un artículo original de reflexión teórica basado en la Teoría Feminista del Paradigma holístico de salud que entiende el género como una variable. Conclusiones: Otras culturas nos muestran una mujer climatérica que no padece los signos y síntomas que encontramos en las mujeres Occidentales, lo cual nos hace pensar en la importancia de la sociedad de referencia como factor que influye en la vivencia del climaterio. La menopausia marca un punto de inflexión en la mujer que pasa de la madurez a la senectud por medio de un rito de paso facilitador, pero éste en Occidente está diluido y la mujer vive esta etapa de modo negativo (AU)

Introdução: Integrar a perspectiva socio-cultural no cuidado das mulheres é fundamen-tal para alcançar uma boa saúde. O modelo biomédico tem ignorado esses fatores no estu-do do climatério, de modo que criou uma nova patologia feminina, síndrome climatérica. Principal objetivo: Para refletir a partir de uma perspectiva feminista na dimensão socio-cultural ocidental do climatério. Metodologia: um artigo original de refle-xão teórica baseada na teoria feminista de paradigma de saúde holística que entende gênero como uma variável é apresentado. Conclusões: Outras culturas mostram uma mulher na menopausa que não tem os sinais e sintomas encontrados nas mulheres ocidentais, que nos faz pensar sobre a importância da sociedade de referência como um fator que influencia o climatério. A menopausa marca um ponto de viragem em mulheres que passam de maturidade para a senescência através de um rito de passagem facilitador, mas este no Ocidente é diluído e mulheres vivem nesta fase de uma forma negativa (AU)

Introduction: Including the sociocultural perspective in the care of women is key to at-taining good health. The biomedical model has obviated these factors in the study of climacteric, so that a new female pathology, Climatérico Syndrome, has been created. Main objective: To reflect from the feminist perspective, on the western sociocultural dimension of the climacteric. Methodology: We present an original article of theoretical reflection based on the Feminist Theory of the Holistic Health Paradigm that understands gender as a variable. Conclusions: Other cultures show us a climacteric woman who does not suffer from the signs and symptoms that we find in Western women, which makes us think of the importance of the society of reference as a factor that influences the experience of the climacteric. Menopause marks a turning point in the woman who passes from maturity to senescence through a facilitating rite of passage, but this in the West is diluted and the woman lives this stage in a negative way (AU)

The best laid plans? Women's choices, expectations and experiences in childbirth.

The past decades have seen a drastic increase in the medicalization of childbirth, evidenced by increasing Caesarean section rates in many Western countries. In a rare moment of congruence, alternative health-care providers, feminist advocates for women's health and, most recently, mainstream medical service providers have all expressed serious concerns about the rise in Caesarean section rates and women's roles in medicalization. These concerns stem from divergent philosophical positions as well as differing assumptions about the causes for increasing medicalization. Drawing on this debate, and using a feminist and governmentality framing of the problem, we interviewed 22 women who have recently had children about their birthing choices, their expectations and their birth experiences. The women's narratives revealed a disjuncture between their expectations of choosing, planning and achieving as natural a birth as possible, and their lived experiences of births that did not typically go to plan. They also reveal the disciplining qualities of both natural and medical discourses about birth and choice. Furthermore, their narratives counter assumptions that women, as ideal patient consumers, are driving medicalization.

Undoing gender? The case of complementary and alternative medicine.

Despite a rich body of sociological research that examines the relationship between gender and health, scholars have paid little attention to the case of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). One recent study (Sointu 2011) posits that men and women who use CAM challenge traditional ascriptions of femininity and masculinity through the exploration of self-care and emotions, respectively. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with middle-class Americans who use CAM, this article instead finds that men and women interpret their CAM use in ways that reproduce traditional gendered identities. Men frame their CAM use in terms of science and rationality, while simultaneously distancing themselves from feminine-coded components of CAM, such as emotions. Women seek CAM for problems such as abusive relationships, low self-esteem, and body image concerns, and frame their CAM use as a quest for self-reinvention that largely reflects and reproduces conventional femininity. Further, the reproduction of gendered identities is shaped by the participants' embrace of neoliberal tenets, such as the cultivation of personal control. This article contributes to ongoing theoretical debates about the doing, redoing and undoing of gender, as well as the literature on health and gender.

Bodies of knowledge: nature, holism and women's plural health practices.

The proliferation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and women's high level of engagement with these practices, has presented sociology with a range of questions regarding gender, embodiment and identity work in the context of contemporary medical pluralism. The current study, drawing on 60 qualitative interviews with women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), examines how a group of Australian women negotiate CAM and biomedicine in a range of health and illness contexts. Selected from the mid-aged cohort of this national study, here we explore their accounts of engagement with CAM and biomedicine, unpacking their logics underpinning, and rhetorical practices surrounding, their therapeutic engagement. The results provide significant insight into: the importance of ideas about nature, holism and strengthening; perceptions of the harshness and softness of medicines for women's bodies; and, the relative importance of scientific proof vis-a-vis individual subjectivities. Ultimately, their accounts illustrate gendered and embodied strategies of strategic integration, and importantly, border crossing. We conclude that while women's engagement with CAM and biomedicine may be indeed be gendered in character, we suggest a rethinking of gender-based resistance (to biomedicine) or gender-alignment (to CAM) arguments; the notion of women as designers would more adequately capture the landscapes of contemporary medical pluralism.

Women's bodies and women's lives in western herbal medicine in the UK.

Health practices designated, over time, as complementary and alternative to normative biomedicine represent one of the earliest manifestations of the growing significance, especially for women, of holistic health care in many Western English-speaking societies. In this article, I interrogate ideas and practices around the body and self in Western herbal medicine (WHM) in the UK. I first explore women herbalists' ideas of the body, health, and illness. I then examine the self-care practices that constitute an integral part of WHM, leading to an investigation of the implications of their incorporation into women users' everyday lives. Drawing on theoretical understandings of embodiment and technologies of self, the explorations presented reveal women's bodies and selves as arenas for self-care and self-fulfillment while also highlighting tensions and dilemmas in women's lives. I suggest that WHM constitutes a form of holistic and politicized health care that contributes to confronting and fulfilling women's traditional gender roles and discourses of caring femininity.

Why are current efforts to eliminate female circumcision in Ethiopia misplaced?

This paper discusses the eradication challenges of female circumcision in Ethiopia. It argues that despite an overall decline in the practice nationally, eradication efforts have caused significant quandaries for girls and their families. The most common justification by far for its continuance is that circumcision confirms a girl's social place by proving her readiness for marriage and adulthood and thereby ensures her protection against material want. Hence, intervention has often resulted in the transformation, rather than the elimination, of the practice, the exchange of one type of risk for another, or even increased risk to girls. In discussing policy, the paper argues that there has been a misapplication of the risk concept in the promotion of change in Ethiopia. It calls for risk definitions and interventions that are more holistic, correspond more closely with children's social realities and take into account the phenomenological dimensions of experience.

'A real man smells of tobacco smoke'--Chinese youth's interpretation of smoking imagery in film.

Previous studies have associated youth's exposure to filmic images of smoking with real-life smoking acquisition; initial research in low- and middle-income countries confirms this relationship. The present study in Yunnan, southwest China sought answers to the following questions: How do young people in China make sense of smoking imagery they have seen in film? How are these perceptions shaped by the cultural and social context of images? How do these understandings relate to real-life tobacco use? A study with focus groups and grounded theory was conducted in 2010 and 2011 (Sept-Jan) with middle-school students ages 12 and 13 (n=68, focus groups=12, schools=6). Films and media literacy were important means through which knowledge about smoking was constructed and communicated. Film representations of smoking concurred with Chinese social behaviour (Confucian social networks, face-making, and the notion of society as a harmonious social unit), and were interpreted as congruent with real-life smoking. This pattern, in turn, was intertwined with perceived gender identities of smokers, gender-specific social behaviour, and willingness of girls to explore issues of gender equity. These findings lend new insights into interaction between smoking imagery in film and Chinese youth's smoking beliefs. Tobacco control programs in China should consider young people's interpretations of smoking and the ways they are nested in cultural and social milieu.

Objective assessment of gender roles: gender roles test (GRT-36)

This study was designed to develop a computerized test to assess gender roles. This test is presented as a decision-making task to mask its purpose. Each item displays a picture representing an activity and a brief sentence that describes it. Participants have to choose the most suitable sex to perform each activity: man or woman. The test (Gender Roles Test, GRT-36) consists of 36 items/activities. The program registers both the choices made and their response times (RTs). Responses are considered as stereotyped when the chosen sex fits stereotyped roles and non-stereotyped when the chosen sex does not fit stereotyped roles. Individual means (RTs) were computed for stereotyped and non-stereotyped responses, differentiating between domestic and work spheres. A «D» score, reflecting the strength of association between activities and sex, was calculated for each sphere and sex. The study incorporated 78 participants (69% women and 31% men) ranging from 19 to 59 years old. The results show that: (a) reading speed does not explain the variability in the RTs; (b) RTs show good internal consistency; (c) RTs are shorter for stereotyped than for neutral stimuli; (d) RTs are shorter for stereotyped than for non-stereotyped responses. Intended goals are supported by obtained results. Scores provided by the task facilitate both group and individual detailed analysis of gender role, differentiating the gender role assigned to men from that assigned to women, at the domestic and work spheres. Obtained data fall within the scope of the genderology and their implications are discussed (AU)

El objetivo del estudio ha sido elaborar un test informatizado, para valorar los roles de género, presentado como tarea de toma de decisiones para enmascarar su objetivo. En cada ítem hay que elegir entre varones o mujeres, según se los/as considere más idóneos para realizar cada actividad. La prueba consta de 36 ítems/actividades. El programa registra tanto la elección como el tiempo de respuesta (TR). Las respuestas se clasifican en estereotipadas (concordancia sexo y rol estereotipado) y no estereotipadas (discordancia sexo y rol estereotipado). Para cada uno de estos grupos se calcula el TR medio, diferenciando ámbito doméstico y laboral. También se calcula una puntuación de fuerza de asociación de la respuesta (D) para cada ámbito y sexo. En el estudio participaron 78 personas (69% mujeres y 31% varones) entre 19 y 59 años. Los resultados manifiestan que: (a) la velocidad de lectura no explica la variabilidad en los TR; (b) los TR muestran buena consistencia interna; (c) los TR son más breves ante estímulos estereotipados que neutros; (d) los TR son más breves para las respuestas estereotipadas que para las no estereotipadas. Los resultados avalan el ajuste del test a los objetivos establecidos. Las puntuaciones facilitan tanto el análisis del rol de género en grupos como el perfil individual, diferenciando el rol de género adscrito a la mujer del adscrito al varón, tanto en el ámbito doméstico como en el laboral. Estos resultados se enmarcan dentro del ámbito de la generología y se discuten sus implicaciones (AU)