Question

In Complaints and Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness, Ehrenreich and English explore some of the ways in which social class intersects with race and gender with regard to assumptions, ideas, and actions within the 19th and 20th century U.S. medical professions. Please provide a minimum of three examples that illustrate the biologically determinist assumptions and actions of the U.S. medical profession with regard to 1.) upper and upper-middle class women (3 examples) and 2.) lower-class and poor women (3 examples). In other words, please explain at least three ways the U.S. medical professions have explained and/or treated upper-class women and three ways the U.S. medical professions have explained and/or treated lower-class women from a biologically determinist standpoint. (Total of six examples).

Answer 1

Answer:

THE WAYS US MEDICAL PROFESSIONS HAVE TREATED UPPER CLASS WOMEN-

1. According to Dr. Lucien Warner, 1874, "Refinement and so called blessing of wealth made the women invalid and not at all the hard work and privation."

2. Sweeping the room, making the bed, dusting parlour and making dinner are the tasks to be accomplished for the finer health by the upper class women as ding nothing is the root cause of the problem.

3. The upper class women tended to be more sophisticated, neat, clean, tidy, beautiful (Well maintained and taken care of) and less prone to contagious diseases.

4.An exceptionally productive woman like Elizabeth Browning has spent around six years in the bed after her brother died in the boat accident.

5. Sewing, reading the romance novels, sketching and other creative use of leisure were the prime features of the upper class US women.

THE WAYS US MEDICAL PROFESSIONS HAVE TREATED LOWER CLASS WOMEN-

1. The women belonging to lower class were "Sickening" and that of the upper class were "Sick".

2. Lower class women used to be engaged in more work, specifically physical work, hence the diseases and disorders related to idle and cold behaviour were not related to them.

3. The women belonging to lower class were unclean, dirty, unhygienic and more prone to contagious diseases.

4. Prostitution among the lower class women in US resulted into the breakdown of their families.