From the Eclipse of Obstetric Violence to the Light of Gynecological Violence
From the Eclipse of Obstetric Violence to the Light of Gynecological Violence
Keywords:
Gynaecological violence, Female body, Biomedical modelAbstract
Gynecological violence has been overshadowed by obstetric violence under the umbrella term ‘gynaeco-obstetric violence’. However, it is a distinct form of violence with specific characteristics that manifest in medical settings dedicated to women’s health and sexuality, from adolescence to old age, extending beyond motherhood (pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period). This text breaks that eclipse and sheds light on gynaecological violence, based on the development and critical feminist analysis of five scenarios: 1) Menstruation and its medicalisation; 2) Forced or uninformed contraception; 3) Abortion and the denial of reproductive rights; 4) Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity; and 5) Menopause treated as a bodily ‘failure’. This is a documentary study with a qualitative approach and a feminist framework, based on a critical review of specialist literature, reports from human rights organisations, and national and international epidemiological data. It seeks to establish the concept of gynaecological violence to describe the violent practices within the healthcare sector that strip women of their autonomy over their own bodies, paving the way for obstetric violence to persist as a normalised experience. It operates on the premise that gynaecological care is governed by androcentric and misogynistic perspectives, a product of structural gender-based violence imposed by the capitalist-patriarchal system.
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