Gender, Health and Healing : The Public/Private Divide

What do we mean by 'gender' and how does this relate to health? How is 'biology' best understood? What does a focus on the division of labour bring to our understanding of health work? Is (gender) 'equity' in health possible? How have developments such as the resurgence of emotions and the new genetics affected these and other social relations at the turn of the century? These are just some of the questions addressed in Gender, Health and Healing in which a whole range of issues are brought together and connected to emerging concerns in contemporary life such as the new genetics and transformations in biomedical knowledge and practices. It offers a challenging assessment of gender relations and embodied practices across the public/private divide, using health and healing as paradigmatic examples. This thought-provoking volume lies at the intersection of gender studies, the sociology of health and healing, health policy, the critical analysis of scientific knowledge and the current debates around the body, health and emotions. Bringing together new and leading scholars in the field, it provides a unique critical overview of contemporary debates in health care for an interdisciplinary readership.