Abstract
In Reproductive Justice and Women’s Voices: Health Communication Across the Lifespan, Beth Sundstrom details the myriad ways that women view their bodies in the context of preventing childbirth, as pregnant individuals, during the birthing process, and in the postpartum period. She carefully weaves each woman’s story in these contexts in a readable and captivating manner.
In each section of the book, Sundstrom conducted in-depth interviews with women at one of these time periods in their lives. Her attention to detail brings the women that participated in her research project to life for the reader. She grounds her study in a postmodern approach using a social constructionist lens, while incorporating both Foucault and Gramsci as theoretical influences. Included in each section are Sundstrom’s careful examination of the women’s perceptions of the medical community and of the power afforded to the physicians “over illness and health through the medicalization of the body.”
Racism is investigated as a way to determine how freedom comes into play as women contemplate reproduction. Furthermore, the author considers the influences of risk communication regarding women’s health and how media sways women’s perceptions of themselves as they deal with contraceptive issues, navigate pregnancy, during the childbirth experience and as mothers. Each woman’s story is written thoughtfully and deftly while highlighting their individual encounters.
Chapter 1 details Sundstrom’s interviews with 18 college-aged women and their viewpoints regarding contraceptives. Despite repeated recommendations from the medical community, the women interviewed by Sundstrom overwhelmingly chose the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) rather than the (usually) more effective long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method. Media propagated the belief in most interviewees that the LARC method was for older women rather than themselves. When asked about the meaning of menstruation, the women “found a ‘regular cycle’ reassuring, even though withdrawal bleeding is unrelated to pregnancy.” The study participants also discussed with Sundstrom how their use of OCP added to their comfortableness with the results, especially regarding menstruation.
Chapter 2 focuses on pregnancy and the history of the use of the word, “pregnant.” The author suggests that “the discourse surrounding fertility, gender and the body emphasizes the significance of social and cultural norms, as well as learned behaviors and meanings on the decision(s) to become pregnant, the experience(s) of being pregnant, and the discussions of the body and female embodiment.” As Sundstrom investigated this premise, she interviewed 19 pregnant women and found that pregnancy is often considered a “surprise” to many soon-to-be parents. The body image of these women allowed insights about how the media becomes involved in the lives of these women.
Chapter 3 focuses on childbirth and Sundstrom interviewed 44 participants. Interestingly, the majority of the interviews were conducted at the hospital immediately following the birth of the participant’s child. Breach, natural childbirth, cesarean deliveries, labor augmentation, epidural analgesia, and media’s involvement in these choices are discussed. Concurrent with the previous quote about women’s bodies and perceptions thereof, Sundstrom suggests that the medical community obliterates a woman’s choice regarding birthing options, ultimately leading to “the loss of economic independence, the loss of power in relationships, and ultimately the loss of freedom.”
The following chapter delves into the myth of superwoman and how women cope with the pressures associated with that image. It was not surprising that women felt an inordinate amount of stress when trying to balance the demands of an infant and their own physical and emotional health, while being bombarded with media messages about how to diet to get their prepregnancy body back.
The only area that this reviewer sees as a future research area for Sundstrom would be the menopausal and postmenopausal woman. Even though this area of women’s health is not a life cycle commonly associated with pregnancy, women in this age and life-stage could provide another avenue for investigation of health communication across the woman’s life span.
This volume is appropriate to accompany a Health Communication, Gender Communication, or Risk Communication course. The book would be best suited to a graduate course in any of these areas of communication inquiry. Sundstrom has completed a well-written and interesting volume addressing areas not often examined. This reviewer recommends the book highly.