Review

Sexist healing?

Well Women: the gendered nature of health care provision
Anne Morris and Susan Nott (eds)
Ashgate Publishing, 2002. £47.50

This book examines the medical profession’s power and influence over the lives of women and exposes practices within the medical and legal professions that should be more widely known among the general public.

It is written by academics with expertise in the field of gender, healthcare and feminist research and, although they introduce complex concepts and use specialised language, it is intellectually stimulating and provokes moral and ethical debates.

The book begins by introducing feminist thought relating to health care and gender. It outlines the theory and considers how class, race and sexuality influence how women are regarded in society as whole, and within the medical sphere in particular. It discusses how the legal and medical professions work together (or, in some cases, do not) when considering medical and ethical matters in relation to adults with learning difficulties, and how gender impacts on these decisions. Case studies remind the reader of the importance of focusing on the person affected by professionals’ decisions.

The book finishes on a positive note by highlighting the work being done to improve women’s access to health care and setting out what needs to be done to eradicate gender inequalities in health care.