Our Bodies Of Knowledge Chapter Summary

Barbara Kruger’s Your Body is a Battleground is a visual representation of how women struggle to have a say in their bodies. Research from the 1980s shows that women still lacked stable healthcare access and

The book, Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organize for Reproductive Justice, was published by the South End Press and written by Marlene Gerber Fried, Loretta Ross, and Elena Gutierrez. Ultimately, due to the lack of inclusivity and representation during the mainstream reproductive movement in the 20th century, this book highlights the bravery and activism done by women of color and their grassroots organizations in order to combat racism and stereotypes as well as to broaden and redefine the meaning of reproductive rights and reproductive justice, so as to ensure that all women, not just middle class white women, had their voices heard and addressed. With a thorough look at the various grassroots organizations as well as the various women of color behind them, I believe this book does an exceptional job at not only analyzing the historical contexts, but also analyzing the grassroots

There has always been a stigma surrounding the topic of women’s health, especially the reproductive kind, as the world has set standards for a how a woman’s body should be. The stigma begins where, unfortunately for the world, women’s bodies oftentimes do not comply with these standards. Because of the rifts between expectation and reality girls are shamed, oftentimes unconsciously or via systemic responses and interactions. It becomes an ingrained and understood conduct, teaching girls that their bodies exist for objective purposes, and it lays the foundation for developing insecurities. Bodily insecurities tend to run so deeply that even women in adulthood shy away from taking proper care of themselves. Because of how taboo discussing women’s

The women of this century started to use “birth control or abstained from sexual intercourse” (Read and Practice Chapter 9). These women did not want to spend their entire lives raising children, therefore they found ways to change that and make their lives what they wanted them to

The major and consistent feminist goals throughout time have always been centered around reproductive rights. From the introduction of birth control to the acceptance of surrogacy, feminists have fought for every milestone. In today’s society, reproductive and medical technologies are growing at an incredible rate, allowing individuals to be liberated from gender conventions and oppression. Though having these technological advances are comforting, some feminists argue whether having these newfound reproductive and medical options are what is best for womankind, or if it simply adheres to the patriarchy.

I immensely enjoyed reading Heather Corinna’s article, I, Being Born Woman and Suppressed due to the fact that it was able to elicit varied personal thoughts and feelings. Throughout the piece, Corinna structures their argument around the suppression of menstruation and thus the suppression of those with a uterus, highlighting how completely ingrained internalized misogyny is and how it can affect people in a multitude of ways. For instance, Corinna spends some time discussing how internalized misogyny has continued to exist throughout medical fields, creating bias and revealing that, mortifyingly, “they do not talk, as healthcare pros should, about health concerns, biochemistry, or the results of double-blind studies. Rather we hear doctors telling us about the wonder that is avoiding pesky stains in our expensive, pretty panties” (210). While I agree with a majority of the points Corinna explores, I feel that one weakness in their article was their use of language.

Women in America were not always perceived as equals to men. It took a great deal of blood, sweat, tears, and most of all time, for women reach the quality of life in todays culture. American women had always pushed feminism, but it wasn’t until the time period around World War II, that equality for women initiated to more than a vision. From the 1940’s to the 1960’s there were several phenomena that nudged society in ways that would improve women’s life and bring forth the women’s movement.

The modern world is in the midst of reconstructing gender roles; debates about contraception, reproductive freedom, and female inequality are contentious and common. The majority now challenges the long established assertion that women’s bodies are the eminent domain of patriarchal control. In the past, a woman’s inability to control her reproductive choices could come with ruinous consequences. Proponents of patriarchal control argue against reproductive independence with rhetoric from religious texts and with anecdotes of ‘better days,’ when women were subservient. Often, literature about childbearing fails to acknowledge the possibility of women being uninterested in fulfilling the role of motherhood.

Over the past fifty years, women have undergone a major transformation in their roles within American society. The women's movement of the late 1960s played a significant role in challenging traditional gender roles and bringing about profound changes in the status and perception of women. In this essay, we will explore the impact of this pivotal movement and evaluate how successful it has been in advancing women's rights. We will critically examine the movement's achievements and shortcomings, and identify areas where progress remains elusive. Although the movement achieved significant milestones, including legislative victories and shifts in societal attitudes, persistent gender inequalities continue to exist.

One of the points mentioned by Anne Murray is how women’s health’s has been ignored and neglected. This is a true case. Going back to the olden days and basing my analysis on women as healers, “Witches, Midwives, and Nurses” by English and Ehrenreich tells us women’s story as health workers and denounce the history of suppression. Women have always been healers. Even though they were not licensed with medical degrees, women were nurses and pharmacists. Today, however, the health care system is a male dominated industry. Because it has become the property of male professionals, many issues are affecting women and their children. For instance, according to Murray, female infants’ and children’s access to food and/ or medical care has been neglected because researchers either view the household as a single entity with uniform internal distribution or treat newborns as a sex neutral category. This demonstrates that little attention; research and financial support are given to expand the wellbeing of women and their children. The lack of participation of women in planning and implementing health care policies and politics has failed to take women’s health

As a trained nurse in the slums and tenements of New York I had been brought face to face with conditions that made the so-called sacredness of motherhood a term of unspeakable irony. Pregnant women—drunken husbands—hungry children, children born to a heritage of disease, filth, crime—this was the order of that day. As one pregnancy followed another, a family sank deeper into the mire. And always denied contraceptive knowledge by their doctors, these women were driven to other means. On Saturday evenings, they lined up before the office of a cheap abortionist, each waiting her turn. “You would tell us nothing,” they seemed to reproach me (I knew nothing to tell them), “and here we are.” All too often wrecked health and death followed. Weighed

In the 60s was when women cried for equality and freedom the most. Freedom to be seen in society as equal to men. All these events in history were the catalyst of the radical feminist movement. Currently, feminism has been changing women's lives as they now as a new world of education, empowerment, and feminist theory are beginning to surface. This “second wave of feminism” has simple goals: women want freedom, equal opportunities, and control over their lives.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, feminist women in America faced an underlying conflict to find their purpose and true meaning in life. “Is this all?” was often a question whose answer was sought after by numerous women reaching deeper into their minds and souls to find what was missing from their life. The ideal second-wave feminist was defined as a women who puts all of her time into cleaning her home, loving her husband, and caring for her children, but such a belief caused these women to not only lose their identity within her family but society as well. The emotions that feminist women were feeling at this time was the internal conflict that caused for social steps to be taken in hopes of

The public discourse on abortion has been, and still is, a tremendous debatable topic. I chose the topic on abortion during the Women’s Movement because I am a low-grade feminist, but I believe in pro-choice. Feminist’s advocate for women’s equality to men in areas such as social, political, legal, and economic rights. Growing up, I have always been competitive with the opposite sex and believe that women can do things men can do. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the Women’s Movement began specifically the time period when reproductive rights were an issue, the leaders and organizations during the movement, the course of actions taken, what has changed, and the role of social work.

Throughout the course of history, the field of healthcare has always been in a state of flux; however, healthcare has also had one steady aspect and that is women have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to traversing the system. Women have and still do face many obstacles within the health care system. These obstacles include research androcentrism, medicalization, gender stereotyping, reproductive rights, differential treatment, and fertility issues, among others… These obstacles must be explored and analyzed in order to better help women navigate the healthcare system and to support women’s rights in the present and future.