Witnesses of Medical Sexism: Representations of Gender in Definitions of Gynaecology

This article presents a feminist critical analysis of institutional definitions of gynaecology in Quebec, Canada. By examining six official definitions, three problematic areas are uncovered: the essentialisation and vagueness of the subject ‘woman’; the hierarchical appropriation of expertise by gynaecologists at the expense of patients; and the conflation of gynaecology with obstetrics, the latter of which entrenches the association between femininity and maternity. We argue that these definitions obscure the true diversity of patients’ experiences and needs, thereby reinforcing existing oppressive power dynamics in medical practice. We advocate for an epistemological shift that values the situated knowledge of patients and promotes a more inclusive, feminist conceptualisation of gynaecology.