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A review by madidori
Complaints and Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness by Barbara Ehrenreich
5.0
“But in our concern to understand more about our own biology, for our own purposes, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is not our biology that oppresses us — but a social system based on sex and class domination.”
I have gotten really interested in sickness, women, and the healthcare system (perhaps for obvious reasons) and this book has been mentioned several times in other things I’ve read.
This is a fascinating (and infuriating) history of sickness and women’s health. Back in the 1800s-early 1900s, women were either “sick” or “sickening”, depending on their class status. Upper and middle class women were too sick to do anything but be invalids. Working class women were carriers of germs and disease and needed to be avoided.
The history of medical practice and also class divisions was interesting. But what was more intriguing was the shift over time. The authors spend a super short amount of time talking about 1973, which was when this was published. They give an update on “today”, which was 50 years ago.
Women in the 70s (and arguably now) were no longer seen as physically sick but mentally ill. The problems they complained about were no longer issues with the ovaries (which historically held all the issues, hence mass ovariectomies), but psychological problems.
I wish more was talked about in this section. I also wished they wrote more about power. They acknowledge in the conclusion that this is about biology, science, or anything inherent to women — it’s about power. Who has the power to decide what’s “medically” wrong; who has the power to withhold or give access to medical technology; who can legislate for medical needs.
Science and biology were used as tools to justify social standings and power. This was only a couple of pages but I wish it were longer. But I still recommend this book for anyone interested in medical history, women’s health, and social issues.
I have gotten really interested in sickness, women, and the healthcare system (perhaps for obvious reasons) and this book has been mentioned several times in other things I’ve read.
This is a fascinating (and infuriating) history of sickness and women’s health. Back in the 1800s-early 1900s, women were either “sick” or “sickening”, depending on their class status. Upper and middle class women were too sick to do anything but be invalids. Working class women were carriers of germs and disease and needed to be avoided.
The history of medical practice and also class divisions was interesting. But what was more intriguing was the shift over time. The authors spend a super short amount of time talking about 1973, which was when this was published. They give an update on “today”, which was 50 years ago.
Women in the 70s (and arguably now) were no longer seen as physically sick but mentally ill. The problems they complained about were no longer issues with the ovaries (which historically held all the issues, hence mass ovariectomies), but psychological problems.
I wish more was talked about in this section. I also wished they wrote more about power. They acknowledge in the conclusion that this is about biology, science, or anything inherent to women — it’s about power. Who has the power to decide what’s “medically” wrong; who has the power to withhold or give access to medical technology; who can legislate for medical needs.
Science and biology were used as tools to justify social standings and power. This was only a couple of pages but I wish it were longer. But I still recommend this book for anyone interested in medical history, women’s health, and social issues.