Diversity Of Women's Experiences Research Articles

Being a mother with anorexia: A phenomenological study of seeking and receiving professional support for white heterosexual women in the UK

AbstractMothers are currently under‐represented in the literature on anorexia, including research on treatment, with most research focussed on female adolescents. This raises questions about how adult women and particularly those who are mothers, experience eating disorder treatment. This study provides a phenomenological exploration of lived experiences of seeking and receiving professional help and interactions with health professionals for six white heterosexual mothers who experienced anorexia while raising their children. Four themes are reported that capture the women's diverse experiences of seeking and receiving support for anorexia: (1) conflict between mothering and seeking help; (2) experiences of feeling blamed, poorly treated or misunderstood by health professionals; (3) positive experiences of seeking and receiving support; and (4) the importance of ongoing support. The women's experiences suggest that healthcare professionals should adopt a more holistic approach that acknowledges the subjective reality of the client (including their mother status) when working with mothers experiencing anorexia.

'I don't want anyone to know': Experiences of obtaining access to HIV testing by Eastern European, non-European Union sex workers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Historically, the Netherlands has hosted a large number of migrant sex workers. Since sex work is considered a legal profession it might serve as an example of better access to health services, including HIV testing, at least for those working within the legal framework. However, migrant sex workers, especially non-European Union (EU) nationals, might not be eligible to register for official employment and thus face obstacles in obtaining access to health services, becoming essentially invisible. This study examined context-specific vulnerabilities of migrant female sex workers (FSWs) from Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, whether and how they have access to HIV testing compared to other EE, non-EU migrant FSWs in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. We conducted a multi-stakeholder perspective study from November 2015 to September 2017 in Amsterdam. The study comprised 1) semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (N = 19); 2) in-depth interviews with Eastern European, non-EU migrant FSWs (N = 5) and field observations of the escort agency working with them; and 3) in-depth interviews with key stakeholders (N = 12). We found six key barriers to HIV testing: 1) migration and sex-work policies; 2) stigma, including self-stigmatization; 3) lack of trust in healthcare providers or social workers; 4) low levels of Dutch or English languages; 5) negative experience in accessing healthcare services in the home country; and 6) low perceived risk and HIV-related knowledge. Having a family and children, social support and working at the licensed sex-work venues might facilitate HIV testing. However, Internet-based sex workers remain invisible in the sex-work industry. Our findings indicate the importance of addressing women's diverse experiences, shaped by intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, network and policy-level factors, with stigma being at the core. We call for the scaling up of outreach interventions focusing on FSWs and, in particular, migrant FSWs working online.

Re-working biographies: Women's narratives of pregnancy whilst living with epilepsy

This paper explores the multiple ways experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood come to ‘rework’ the biographies of women living with epilepsy. Pregnancy is explored as a temporarily concurrent status alongside the long-term condition of epilepsy. Narrative interviews were conducted with 32 women from across the UK. Analysis of these narratives suggests that biographical disruption and continuity are both useful in the conceptualisation of women's diverse experiences of pregnancy and epilepsy. Such findings challenge the notion that the presence of a condition over a long period of time leads to the normalisation of illness. Participants' narratives demonstrate that, for some, pregnancy and early motherhood may be disruptive and can raise concerns regarding an ever present condition that may previously have been taken for granted. Findings also indicate the need for a greater consideration of gender and care responsibilities, as well explorations of concomitant conditions, in the theorising of biographies and chronic illness.

Reframing Digital Storytelling as Co-creative

This study of the digital storytelling (DST) project at the South Asia Hub of the Pathways of Women's Empowerment Research Programme Consortium examines the capacity of DST practice to articulate women's diverse experiences of empowerment, given the genre's formalities and narrative guidelines. I challenge notions that DST mediation is limited to relationships between the storyteller and the technology, and instead focus on mediation as a co‐creative process. There are at least two overlooked dynamics in DST. The first is how the organisation adopts narrative guidelines to fit their framework and purpose; and second, the social relationships mediating the way actors related to one another in the workshop. I find that the workshop model and specific narrative structure may constrain ways of conveying ‘experience’. Not every participant's experience or mode of narration is readily suited for DST. On the other hand, participants also report DST as useful for strengthening community relationships and opening up a more self‐reflexive space for critical thinking.

Inclusion and exclusion in mid-life lesbians' experiences of the Pap test

Lesbians are said to feel excluded by sexual health messages that presume heterosexuality, a finding linked to lower levels of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing. This paper discusses a small, focused qualitative study based in Calgary, Canada that illuminated mid-life lesbians' experiences and perceptions of Pap testing and health. Participants indicated that they felt compelled and invited to access Pap testing by an inclusive discourse – that of ‘mid-life’, a period associated with an increased need for body surveillance. They also reflected upon aging as an experience of liberation, increased confidence and a time when they could ‘catch up’ on health and sexuality issues denied them in their younger days. On the other hand, there was significant uncertainty about Pap testing, human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer and what kind of sexual healthcare is necessary for lesbians, which was reinforced by physician messages suggesting a reduced need for Pap testing when lesbian sexual identity was disclosed. In approaching mid-life lesbian healthcare, we suggest that greater analytical attention should be paid to the ways in which lesbian women are included, as much as excluded, in dominant sexual health scripts particularly by health providers who need to attend to women's diverse experiences and needs.

Young Women's Experiences of Social Physique Anxiety

It is well documented that young women's social physique anxiety is associated with a number of health-compromising behaviors. The bulk of this research has used the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS); however, the use of questionnaires in the body domain has been critiqued because of the assumption that women's experiences are singular and static. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to try to better understand young women's experiences of social physique anxiety. Feminist theory was used as a guiding perspective for this case study. Four young women participated (all 15 years old) and multiple methods (i.e. focus group, interviews, abstract photography task) were employed. The four themes developed were: (1) web of emotion; (2) uncertainty; (3) beyond physique; and (4) resignation. The stories of the young women suggest that their experiences are not easily reduced to this singular construct, and that, as a construct, social physique anxiety is limited in helping us to understand women's diverse experiences.

Asian/Pacific Islander American Women: A Historical Anthology

Asian/Pacific Islander American Women is the first collection devoted to the historical study of A/PI women's diverse experiences in America. Covering a broad terrain from pre-large scale Asian emigration and Hawaii in its pre-Western contact period to the continental United States, the Philippines, and Guam at the end of the twentieth century, the text views women as historical subjects actively negotiating complex hierarchies of power. The volume presents new findings about a range of groups, including recent immigrants to the U.S. and understudied communities. Comprised of original new work, it includes chapters on women who are Cambodian, Chamorro, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Native Hawaiian, South Asian, and Vietnamese Americans. It addresses a wide range of women's experiences-as immigrants, military brides, refugees, American born, lesbians, workers, mothers, beauty contestants, and community activists. There are also pieces on historiography and methodology, and bibliographic and video documentary resources. This groundbreaking anthology is an important addition to the scholarship in Asian/Pacific American studies, ethnic studies, American studies, women's studies, and U.S. history, and is a valuable resource for scholars and students. Contributors include: Xiaolan Bao, Sucheng Chan, Catherine Ceniza Choy, Vivian Loyola Dames, Jennifer Gee, Madhulika S. Khandelwal, Lili M. Kim, Nancy In Kyung Kim, Erika Lee, Shirley Jennifer Lim, Valerie Matsumoto, Sucheta Mazumdar, Davianna Pomaika'i McGregor, Trinity A. Ordona, Rhacel Salazar Parrenas, Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman, Charlene Tung, Kathleen Uno, Linda Trinh Vo, Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, Ji-Yeon Yuh, and Judy Yung.

Fears about breast cancer recurrence:.

Prior research shows that the majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer experience ongoing fears about recurrence. These studies primarily have used Likert scales to determine the extent to which women fear recurrence but have not presented details of women's experiences or addressed the nature of women's fears. This report describes a pilot study designed to capture women's diverse experiences related to the possibility of recurrence. Sixteen women participated in semi-structured interviews about their thoughts and feelings regarding the possibility of breast cancer recurrence. Thematic content coding was used to categorize women's responses. Although some women indicated strong fears about recurrence, the majority expressed more moderate fears. Fears revolved around the possibility of death, further treatment (particularly chemotherapy), emotional difficulties, pain, advancement of the disease, suffering of family members, and loss of the breast. Many women spoke about life circumstances that were more salient than the possibility of recurrence. Women also described events/situations that triggered fears and strategies used for coping with fears. Results suggest that more systematic investigation of women's fears about breast cancer recurrence is warranted and that clinicians should address the multidimensional nature of women's fears as they relate to other psychological processes and events in women's lives. Moreover, women's life circumstances should be considered when attempting to determine whether a social support intervention might be beneficial or detrimental.

Rethinking Power

This paper argues that feminists have yet to develop a satisfactory account of power. Existing feminist accounts of power tend to have a one-sided emphasis either on power as domination or on power as empowerment. This conceptual one-sided’ ness must be overcome if feminists are to develop an account complex enough to illuminate women's diverse experiences with power. Such an account is sketched here.

The Woman Question

This new edition of The Woman Question brings together the most influential analyses of women's position in society to have emerged in the past decade. The discussion encompasses both theoretical issues of identity and the economic and political status of women. It demonstrates the impact of gender not only on how the social world is organized but on how we understand and interpret that world. Recognizing the diversity of women's experiences, it pays particular attention to the interactions of race, class, gender and sexuality. Leading feminists explore the concept of gender difference, its impact on women and its representation in culture. They discuss the material realities of women's lives and how these are differentiated by race. They examine women's relation to powerful institutions, especially the state, and analyze the successes, failures and contradictions of feminist politics.

Towards a preliminary framework for understanding pregnancy loss

Abstract It is suggested that the medical model and gestational model used by health professionals to understand women's reactions to miscarriage do not accurately reflect women's diverse experiences of the event. It is proposed that a more sophisticated but user-friendly model based on attachment and loss should be developed.

WOMEN AS PEACEMAKERS

Do women have special peacemaking skills based on their roles as nurturers, as the hands that rock the cradles? Or is the very asking of such a question part of the age-old trap of oversimplifying the notion of “woman,” denying her diffeerences with other women and commonalities with men, and thereby lessening her power? These are the questions that put feminist peace research squarely in the center of the contemporary feminist debate about the nature and power of women and the social construction of gender. After considering feminist analyses of women's diverse experiences as peacemakers and nonpeacemakers on many levels from the familial to the iniernational the author concludes that the argument that women because of their nurturing capacities are essentially different from, and perhaps on some levels better at peacemaking than, men should neither be dismissed out of hand nor embraced as the truth. Rather, she calls for feminist appreciation of both the contributions of an essentialist standpoint and its poststructuralist critique, challenging feminist peace researchers to move beyond the debate to a finely tuned appreciation of a variety of approaches and a tolerance for ambiguity and a little theoretical untidiness.

Crossing the Double-Cross: The Practice of Feminist Criticism

Exploring the controversial question of feminist criticism's relationship to recent critical theory, Elizabeth Meese resists the impulse to encompass women's diverse experiences within a single theory. Instead, she attempts to make American critical theory more radically political and American feminist criticism more self-consciously polyvocal and de-centering. Meese reads writers of the past--Mary Wilkins Freeman, Kate Chopin, and Zora Neale Hurston--in relation to writers of the present--Marilynne Robinson, Tillie Olsen, Margaret Atwood, and Alice Walker. Demonstrating how theory grounds itself in reading practice, just as the demands of the practice reveal the structuring force of theory, this book can be read as dialogues with critical theorists and practitioners, among them Virginia Woolf, Stanley Fish, Jacques Derrida, and Terry Eagleton. Meese affirms a feminist tradition of defiance, suggesting ways in which women's deconstructive strategies of the past are applicable today as feminists continue to transgress the boundaries of gender, race, and class by crossing the double-cross of difference.