{"title":"Resistance and Gendered Racism: Middle-Class Black Women's Experiences Navigating Reproductive Health Care Systems","authors":"Frances M. Howell","doi":"10.1177/03616843231168113","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"A core issue in reproductive justice concerns how racism impacts reproductive health outcomes for Black women. However, the intersectional experiences of middle-class Black women navigating racism in reproductive health systems have not been fully captured in psychological literature. By utilizing a Black feminist approach to qualitative inquiry, this study situates the psychological dynamics behind middle-class Black women's interpretations of and reactions to gendered racism in reproductive settings within the historical context of slavery and its aftermath. The data analysis of 12 interviews captures how middle-class Black women reflect on their interactions with gynecologists, narrate their anticipation of gendered racism, and interpret and respond to experiencing gendered racism. Findings from this study suggest that gendered racism is a haunting of embodied gynecological trauma that maps onto the historical legacy of slavery. This study offers psychology an empirical and analytical framework for moving forward with its conceptualizations of how race, gender, and class intersect in service of reproductive justice. Results from this study can be used by clinicians to guide their clients towards healing gendered-racist-related stress, as well as medical schools to educate obstetricians and gynecologists on how to provide anti-racist care to their Black patients.","PeriodicalId":48275,"journal":{"name":"Psychology of Women Quarterly","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychology of Women Quarterly","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843231168113","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
A core issue in reproductive justice concerns how racism impacts reproductive health outcomes for Black women. However, the intersectional experiences of middle-class Black women navigating racism in reproductive health systems have not been fully captured in psychological literature. By utilizing a Black feminist approach to qualitative inquiry, this study situates the psychological dynamics behind middle-class Black women's interpretations of and reactions to gendered racism in reproductive settings within the historical context of slavery and its aftermath. The data analysis of 12 interviews captures how middle-class Black women reflect on their interactions with gynecologists, narrate their anticipation of gendered racism, and interpret and respond to experiencing gendered racism. Findings from this study suggest that gendered racism is a haunting of embodied gynecological trauma that maps onto the historical legacy of slavery. This study offers psychology an empirical and analytical framework for moving forward with its conceptualizations of how race, gender, and class intersect in service of reproductive justice. Results from this study can be used by clinicians to guide their clients towards healing gendered-racist-related stress, as well as medical schools to educate obstetricians and gynecologists on how to provide anti-racist care to their Black patients.
期刊介绍:
Psychology of Women Quarterly (PWQ) is a feminist, scientific, peer-reviewed journal that publishes empirical research, critical reviews and theoretical articles that advance a field of inquiry, teaching briefs, and invited book reviews related to the psychology of women and gender. Topics include (but are not limited to) feminist approaches, methodologies, and critiques; violence against women; body image and objectification; sexism, stereotyping, and discrimination; intersectionality of gender with other social locations (such as age, ability status, class, ethnicity, race, and sexual orientation); international concerns; lifespan development and change; physical and mental well being; therapeutic interventions; sexuality; social activism; and career development. This journal will be of interest to clinicians, faculty, and researchers in all psychology disciplines, as well as those interested in the sociology of gender, women’s studies, interpersonal violence, ethnic and multicultural studies, social advocates, policy makers, and teacher education.