Witnesses of Medical Sexism: Representations of Gender in Definitions of Gynaecology
By: Alexandra Toupin and Roxanne Brousseau
References
- Antonelli, G. A. 1998.
“Definition.” In Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Taylor and Francis. London: Routledge. Accessed Nov. 17, 2025. 10.4324/9780415249126-Y057-1. - Association des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Québec. 2021a. Information sur la profession: Qu’est‑ce qu’un obstétricien gynécologue? Santé de la femme. Association des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Québec. Accessed Oct. 23, 2020.
http://www.gynecoquebec.com/sante-femme.html . - Association des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Québec. 2021b. Obstétricien et gynécologue. Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec. Accessed Oct. 29, 2021.
https://fmsq.org/fr/notre-profession/les-specialites-medicales/obstetricien-et-gynecologue . - Bayer, L., and E. A. McWilliams. 2025. “How Should Intensity and Duration of Pain Inform Standard of Care for Pain Management in Non‑Labor and Delivery OB/GYN Procedures?” AMA Journal of Ethics 27 (no. 2): 98–103. 10.1001/amajethics.2025.98.
- Butler, J. 1993. Bodies That Matter. On the Discursive Limits of “Sex.” Milton Park: Routledge.
- Butler, J. 1995.
“Contigent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of “Postmodernism’.” In Feminist Contentions. A Philosophical Exchange, edited by Seyla Benhabib, J. Butler, Drucilla Cornell, and Nancy Fraser, 35–37. New York/Londres: Routledge. - Cambridge Dictionary. 2024. Definition. Cambridge University Press. Accessed June 23.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/definition . - CHU de Montréal. 2021. Répertoire des cliniques, services et unités de soins. Gynécologie. Université de Montréal. Accessed Dec. 14, 2021.
https://repertoire.chumontreal.qc.ca/fiches/gynecologie . - CHU de Québec. s.d. Gynécologie. Université Laval. Accessed Dec. 14, 2021.
https://www.chudequebec.ca/patient/maladies,-soins-et-services/specialites-et-specialistes/specialites/gynecologie.aspx . - CHU de Sainte‑Justine. 2021. Gynécologie. Université de Montréal. Accessed Dec. 14, 2021.
https://www.chusj.org/soins-services/G/Gynecologie . - CHU de Sherbrooke. 2021. Examens, tests ou chirurgies. Gynécologie et obstétrique. Accessed Nov. 17, 2025.
https://www.santeestrie.qc.ca/soins-services/specialises/examens-ou-tests . - Collège des médecins. n.d. Spécialités reconnues au Québec. Accessed June 22.
https://www.cmq.org/fr/pratiquer-la-medecine/pratique-medicale/specialites . - Cooper Owens, D. 2017. Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
- CUSM. 2021. Obstétrique et gynécologie. McGill University. Accessed Nov. 17, 2025.
https://cusm.ca/bottin/specialite/obstetrique-et-gynecologie . - Delcourt, T. 2021. Hystériques? Histoire de la violence thérapeutique faite aux femmes. Paris: Eyrolles.
- Delphy, C. 1998. L’ennemi principal: Économie politique du patriarcat. Paris: Syllepse.
- Dorlin, E. 2008.
“Épistémologies féministes.” In Sexe, genre et sexualités. Introduction à la théorie féministe, edited by Elsa Dorlin, 9–31. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. - Ewies, A. A. 2023. “Obstetrics and Gynaecology: One Specialty or Two?” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 43 (no. 2): 2227031. 10.1080/01443615.2023.2227031.
- Foucault, M. 1997. Il faut défendre la société. Gallimard/Le Seuil.
- Gardey, D, and I Hasdeu. 2015. “Cet obscur sujet du désir. Médicaliser les troubles de la sexualité féminine en Occident.” Travail, genre et sociétés 34 (no. 2): 73–92. 10.3917/tgs.034.0073.
- Gillespie, K. K. 2025. “Key Roles of Epistemic Humility in OB/GYN Care of Patients in Acute Non‑Labor and Delivery Pain Care.” AMA Journal of Ethics 27 (no. 2):117–128. 10.1001/amajethics.2025.117.
- Gouvernement du Québec. 2021. Fiche du terme ‑ Gynécologie. Portail Québec – Services Québec, Thésaurus de l’activité gouvernementale. Accessed Nov. 17, 2025.
https://web.archive.org/web/20200813172810/http://www.thesaurus.gouv.qc.ca/tag/terme.do?id=6300 . - Gynéco Positive. 2021a. “Accueil.” Accessed Dec. 14, 2021.
https://gynecopositive.com/ . - Gynéco Positive. 2021b. “Gynécologie Féministe.” Accessed Dec. 14, 2021.
https://gynecopositive.com/fr/gyncologie-fministe . - Habiba, M. 2023. “Is Separating Obstetrics from Gynaecology the Way Forward? A UK Perspective.” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 43 (no. 2): 2259981. 10.1080/01443615.2023.2259981.
- Handelsman, D. J., and S. Bermon. 2025. “Defining Sex in the Sporting World.” Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 39: 102005. 10.1016/j.beem.2025.102005.
- Haraway, D. 1988. “Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective.” Feminist Studies 14 (no. 3): 575–599. 10.2307/3178066.
- Harding, S. 1987.
“Introduction: Is there a Feminist Method.” In Feminism and Methodology, edited by Sandra Harding, 1–14. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. - Hartsock, S. 1983.
“The Feminist Standpoint: Developing the Ground for a Specifically Feminist Historical Materialism.” In Discovering Reality: Feminist Perspectives on Epistemology, Metaphysics, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, edited by Sandra Harding, and Merrill B. Hintikka, 283–310. Dordrecht: Springer. - Joneja, G. S., and S. Chopra. 2012. “Obstetrics–Gynaecology and Changed Lifestyles of Women.” Medical Journal, Armed Forces India 68 (no. 1): 2–3. 10.1016/S0377-1237(11)60129-9.
- Kassem, G. A. 2014. “Scientific Research in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Changes in the Trends Over Three Decades.” International Journal of Women’s Health 7: 1–5. 10.2147/IJWH.S72075.
- Kessler, S. J., and W. McKenna. 1978.
“Introduction: The Primacy of Gender Attribution.” In Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach, edited by Suzanne J. Kessler, and Wendy McKenna, 1–20. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. - Ludwig, H. 1991. “Subspecialization in Gynecology and Obstetrics: Advantages and Disadvantages.” European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology 41 (no. 1): 31–35. 10.1016/0028-2243(91)90316-d.
- McGill University. 2021a. About Us. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Accessed Dec. 5, 2021.
https://www.mcgill.ca/obgyn/about-us . - McGill University. 2021b. Obstetrics and Gynecology. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Accessed Dec. 5, 2021.
https://www.mcgill.ca/obgyn/ . - Merone, L., K. Tsey, D. Russell, A. Daltry, and C. Nagle. 2022. “Evidence‑Based Medicine: Feminist Criticisms and Implications for Women’s Health.” Women’s Health Reports 3 (no. 1): 844–849. 10.1089/whr.2022.0032.
- Moss, C. F., A. Chinna‑Meyyappan, G. Skovronsky, J. Holloway, S. Lorenzini, N. I. Muhammad, I. Kopits, S. Perelmuter, L. Mitchell, M. Rief, and J. Krapf. 2025. “Experiences of Care and Gaslighting in Patients with Vulvovaginal Disorders.” JAMA Network Open 8 (no. 5): e259486–e259486. 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.9486.
- Muyskens, K., C. Ang, and E. T. Kerr. 2025. “Relational Epistemic Humility in the Clinical Encounter.” Journal of Medical Ethics, 1–7. Epub ahead of print. 10.1136/jme-2024-110241.
- Nisha, Z. 2022. “The Medicalisation of the Female Body and Motherhood: Some Biological and Existential Reflections.” Asian Bioethics Review 14 (no. 1): 25–40. 10.1007/s41649-021-00185-z.
- Ollivier, M., and M. Tremblay. 2000.
“Quelques Principes de la Recherche Féministe.” In Questionnements Féministes et Méthodologie de la Recherche, 17–58. Montréal: L’Harmattan. - Oudshoorn, N. 2000.
“Au sujet des corps, des techniques et des féminismes.” In L’invention du naturel. Les sciences et la fabrication du féminin et du masculin, edited by Delphine Gardey, and Ilana Löwy, 31–45. Paris: Éditions des Archives contemporaines: Histoire des Sciences. - Pandey, U., and S. W. Lindow. 2006. “Should Obstetrics and Gynaecology be Separate Specialities? A Survey of Yorkshire Trainees.” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 26 (no. 4): 305–306. 10.1080/01443610600594807.
- Rani, S., D. K. Pandher, and R. Tandon. 2021. “Specialists’ View on Segregating Obstetrics and Gynecology.” Journal of South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 12 (no. 6): 387–390. 10.5005/jp-journals-10006-1841.
- Robstad, N., A. Paulsen, I. Vistad, A. C. Hott, K. Hansen Berg, A Øgård‑Repål, J. Rabben, E. Wallevik Kristoffersen, and G. Rohde. 2025. “Experiences of Pain Communication in Endometriosis: A Meta‐Synthesis.” Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica 104 (no. 1): 39–54. 10.1111/aogs.14995.
- Taylor, J., and A. Ridgway. 2024. “When Descriptor is Diagnosis: An Autoethnographic Response to the Medical Treatment of Women with Vulvodynia.” Australian Feminist Studies 40 (no. 124‑125): 161–181. 10.1080/08164649.2024.2333051.
- Temmes, M, E Helosvuori, and V Oikkonen. 2025. “Chronic Pain Across Clinical Settings: The Changing Understanding of Pain and its Treatment in Endometriosis.” BioSocieties. 10.1057/s41292-025-00361-6.
- Université de Montréal. s.d. Mission. Qu’est‑ce que l’obstétrique‑gynécologie? Faculté de médecine, département d’obstétrique‑gynécologie. Accessed Oct. 29, 2021.
https://deptobsgyn.umontreal.ca/departement/mission/#definition . - Université de Sherbrooke. s.d. Programme de Programme de résidence en obstétrique‑gynécologie. Département d’obstétrique et de gynécologie. Accessed Nov. 18, 2021.
https://www.usherbrooke.ca/dep-obstetrique-gynecologie/programmes-etudes/etudes-medicales-postdoctorales/programme-de-residence-en-obstetrique-gynecologie . - Université Laval. 2021. Résidence en obstétrique et gynécologie. Spécialisez‑vous en obstétrique et gynécologie. Faculté de médecine de l’Université Laval. Accessed Oct. 21, 2021.
https://www.fmed.ulaval.ca/programmes-detudes/etudes-en-medecine/residences-etudes-medicales-postdoctorales/residence-en-obstetrique-et-gynecologie/presentation/ . - Usito. December 2, 2021. Obstétrique. Université de Sherbrooke, Accessed 17 November 2025.
https://usito.usherbrooke.ca/définitions/obstétrique - Weisz, G. 2006.
“Introduction.” In Divide and Conquer: A Comparative History of Medical Specialization, xi–xxx. Oxford University Press. - Wiggleton‑Little, J. 2025. “Pain Dismissal and the Limits of Epistemic Injustice.” Hypatia, 1–17. 10.1017/hyp.2025.8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33134/rds.465 | Journal eISSN: 2308-0906
Language: English
Page range: 140 - 159
Submitted on: Sep 24, 2024
Accepted on: Sep 6, 2025
Published on: Dec 2, 2025
Published by: Helsinki University Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Keywords:
© 2025 Alexandra Toupin, Roxanne Brousseau, published by Helsinki University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.