Women's Health and Social Change

Ellen Annandale is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Leicester, UK.

• Introduction 1. Recovering gender and health in history 2. Making connections: feminism, sociology and health 3. Two traditions of research on gender and health 4. Women, health and reproduction 5. Moving beyond sex and gender 6. Morbidity and mortality in transition 7. The making of women’s health: diversity and difference 8. Concluding remarks and ways forward

"...include(s) nuanced and thought-provoking investigations of the body-versus-body-politic debate, the glorification of natural childbirth by 1970s-era radical feminists, the limitations of gender difference research, the deleterious impact of late capitalism on biomedicine, the pitfalls of postfeminism and the "body project," amd the weakening of health-oriented women's activism caused by identity politics and extreme individualism."-- Choice, July 2009'' Ellen Annandale’s book on women’s health and social change is a landmark text'' ''A beautifully written book, with flowing prose and some nice pieces of visual imagery that help bring the arguments expressed to life. Each of the seven chapters is well crafted as both a standalone piece of writing and as a building block for the book as a whole. The key points made and the arguments advanced in each chapter are well drawn out and summarised.'' ''This book will be equally rewarding for both those new to the area of gender and health, and those who have worked in it for some time. It represents both an excellent overview of work in this area and insightful analysis that contributes to long-running debates and suggests potentially fruitful directions for new work.''-- Sociology of Health & Illness, 2010