The social construction of sex categories as problematic to biomedical research: cancer as a case in point

Hanson, Barbara

doi:10.1016/s0275-4959(00)80022-8

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…As Hanson relates, ‘the imposition of a dichotomy on a continuum is…like dividing mercury with a ruler’. As she continues, much like mercury, the phenomena reconstitute themselves into a whole when the ruler is taken away (page 57) [35] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Conceptual Muddle: An Empirical Analysis of the Use of ‘Sex’ and ‘Gender’ in ‘Gender-Specific Medicine’ Journals

Hammarström

Annandale

2012

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundAt the same time as there is increasing awareness in medicine of the risks of exaggerating differences between men and women, there is a growing professional movement of ‘gender-specific medicine’ which is directed towards analysing ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ differences. The aim of this article is to empirically explore how the concepts of ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are used in the new field of ‘gender-specific medicine’, as reflected in two medical journals which are foundational to this relatively new field.Method and Principal FindingsThe data consist of all articles from the first issue of each journal in 2004 and an issue published three years later (n = 43). In addition, all editorials over this period were included (n = 61). Quantitative and qualitative content analyses were undertaken by the authors.Less than half of the 104 papers used the concepts of ‘sex’ and ‘gender’. Less than 1 in 10 papers attempted any definition of the concepts. Overall, the given definitions were simple, unspecific and created dualisms between men and women. Almost all papers which used the two concepts did so interchangeably, with any possible interplay between ‘sex’ and gender’ referred to only in six of the papers.ConclusionThe use of the concepts of ‘sex’ and gender’ in ‘gender-specific medicine’ is conceptually muddled. The simple, dualistic and individualised use of these concepts increases the risk of essentialism and reductivist thinking. It therefore highlights the need to clarify the use of the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ in medical research and to develop more effective ways of conceptualising the interplay between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ in relation to different diseases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Conceptual Muddle: An Empirical Analysis of the Use of ‘Sex’ and ‘Gender’ in ‘Gender-Specific Medicine’ Journals

Hammarström

Annandale

2012

PLoS ONE

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“…The shift from categorical to continuous thinking has marked progress in many areas of science, which often begin the study of some phenomenon using categories from common language (e.g., Curtis, 1966;Hanson, 2000;Luce & Narens, 1987;Shriver et al, 2005). Evidence suggests that many organisms have evolved to impose categories on a continuous world, because categorization allows organisms to respond to varying stimuli more efficiently and effectively (Levitin, 2014;Rosch, 1978).…”

Section: Why Sor Is Worth Measuringmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Measure Sexual Orientation Range and Why It's Worth Measuring

Epstein

Robertson

2014

Journal of Bisexuality

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First proposed by Epstein, McKinney, Fox, and Garcia (2012), sexual orientation range (SOR) is an objective continuous measure of the flexibility people have in expressing their sexual orientation. In the present article, three formulas for computing SOR are compared using data obtained from a sample of 54,834 people in 57 countries. A number of statistical measures suggest that SOR is best measured simply as the smaller of two raw scores indicating opposite-sex and same-sex sexual inclinations. In other words, if one's strongest inclinations are same-sex, one's sexual orientation range is best indicated by the strength of one's opposite-sex inclinations, and vice versa. SOR, in combination with mean sexual orientation, another continuous variable, provides a reasonable and useful characterization of sexual orientation, which is and always has been a continuous rather than a categorical phenomenon. The SOR concept also puts the rancorous "choice" debate into an objective, non-inflammatory context.

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“…This immediately demonstrated to me the pervasiveness of the presupposition. When I repeated my searches in -2000and March 2002 via the now free-access versions of Medline on the Internet, I discovered that search mechanisms have much greater capacity and therefore treat each word in the phrase independently. However, although the category is no longer a specific search unit, the concept of maternal age over 35 as a fertility problem remains as much alive as in 1991.…”

Section: Relationships Between Women Men and The Potential Childmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This article continues and updates my analysis of how the three major comparative categories of medical and epidemiological research-age, sex, and race-are socially constructed (Hanson, 1997(Hanson, , 2000(Hanson, , 2001. Here I highlight the conclusions relevant to age and sex as they surface in questions of fertility.…”

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confidence: 92%

Questioning the Construction of Maternal Age as a Fertility Problem

Hanson

2003

Health Care for Women International

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The belief that fertility problems derive from maternal age, increasing markedly at 35, reflects social constructions of biology in developed nations. These constructions perpetuate a negative view of female aging. However, research since 1985 can be interpreted to suggest that there is no, or minimal, association between maternal age and problems associated with fertility. Differences in problems between pre- and postmaternal age 35 fertility can be explained by social conditions occurring with fertility, notably, parenting decisions, physical problems with the male and the potential child, and medical intervention. Once we look at fertility as a relationship among the woman, the man, and the potential child, rather than the woman only, we can see these factors. These components suggest that maternal age may be related only tangentially to successful fertility.

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The social construction of sex categories as problematic to biomedical research: cancer as a case in point

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

A Conceptual Muddle: An Empirical Analysis of the Use of ‘Sex’ and ‘Gender’ in ‘Gender-Specific Medicine’ Journals

A Conceptual Muddle: An Empirical Analysis of the Use of ‘Sex’ and ‘Gender’ in ‘Gender-Specific Medicine’ Journals

How to Measure Sexual Orientation Range and Why It's Worth Measuring

Questioning the Construction of Maternal Age as a Fertility Problem

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