Nursing ; Feminism

PURPOSE: Although feminism has been actively discussed and applied to nursing in Western societies since the 1980s, it is little known among Korean scholars as well as Korean nurses. This article explores the use of feminist perspectives in nursing science in other developed countries and suggests how feminism could be applied to nursing science in Korea. METHOD: The literature related to nursing and feminism were reviewed in terms of nursing practice, education, and research. RESULT: This article describes what feminism is and how feminism and nursing have evolved historically over time in other countries, especially in Western societies. In addition, it discusses how it can be applied to nursing practice, education, and research in Korea. CONCLUSION: Accepting feminist perspective in Korean nursing could benefit in empowering nurses by valuing nursing, by raising self-esteem of nurses, and by raising the consciousness of socio-political realities. Eventually it could benefit in changing and developing nursing science in Korea.
*Nursing ; Korea ; Humans ; *Feminism ; Female

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to describe feminism and to propose the integration of a feminist method into qualitative nursing methodology in order to expand the body of nursing knowledge. METHOD: The world view of feminism including philosophy, epistemology and methodology was outlined, and a feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were suggested as a way of strengthening nursing research methodology using literature review. RESULT: Four different philosophical perspectives of feminism, that is, liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist feminism, and social feminism were described. Also epistemological perspectives including feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint, and postmodern feminism, were explained and were related to the methodology and methods of feminism. To enhance the strengths of nursing research within the feminist perspectives, feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were exemplified in the paradigm of qualitative nursing research. CONCLUSION: This paper suggested that incorporation of feminist approaches within nursing is a valuable attempt to expand the body of nursing knowledge and to enhance the quality of nursing care services by rectifying male-oriented knowledge and by empowering women in the care of other people as well as themselves.
Female ; *Feminism ; Humans ; *Nursing Research

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning and nature of the lived experience of women with severe dysmenorrhea. METHODS: Hermeneutic phenomenology by van Mannen and feminist philosophy informed this study involving 20 women who were 10~40 years old. Data was collected by using focus group interview 2 times from 10 women and in-depth interview from other 10 women from September to December, 2010. RESULTS: The essential themes were message from body, deconstruction of negative stereotyped body, and authorship of my body. Participants described their own painful experiences. They recognized that psychological stress impacted on severe dysmenorrhea, so they made self caring time. They had positive attitude to menstruation, said that dysmenorrhea was not illness, but normal life process. They had internal strength, wisdom, and sistership. CONCLUSION: This study revealed meaning of pain experience in sociocultural context. This finding have implications for health care provider's empathic and holistic practice.
Authorship ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dysmenorrhea ; Female ; Feminism ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Philosophy ; Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of 'Natural childbirth' from experiences of Korean women who gave birth to a baby in the midwifery using a feminist approach. METHODS: This paper is a qualitative research study and applies a feminist epistemology and methodology to the experiences of women who gave birth in midwifery. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews with eleven participants. RESULTS: Two main themes emerged from the feminist content analyses and each main theme had three sub themes. A. transformation of control and knowledge on childbirth and the body 1) refusing coercive medicalization and building a new normality, 2) specific expectations about biological health and maternity rather than a return to nature, 3) the subject of pregnancy and childbirth, B. 'natural childbirth' practice as a new embodied discipline 1) helpers to support mothers, midwives, 2) helping the body to do 'natural childbirth', 3) from isolated labor to cooperative reproduction. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that women desired to practice being a subject, consultation with professionals, self-discipline and named actors except for women as 'other subjects' in childbirth.
Female ; Feminism ; Humans ; Medicalization ; Midwifery ; Mothers ; Natural Childbirth ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Qualitative Research

INTRODUCTIONThe principal aim of this review was to investigate a feminist approach to the decision-making process for women with breast cancer. Empirical research into patient preferences for being informed about and participating in healthcare decisions has some limitations because it is mostly quantitative and designed within the dominant medical culture. Indigenous medical knowledge and alternative medical treatments are not widely accepted because of the lack of confirmed efficacy of such treatments in evidence-based literature. While discussing their treatment options with oncologists, women with breast cancer frequently express many concerns regarding treatment side effects, and sometimes decline conventional treatment when the risks are too high.

METHODSA search of all relevant literary sources, including Pub-Med, ERIC, Medline, and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto was conducted. The key words for selection of the articles were "feminism," "decision-making," "patients preferences for treatment," and "breast cancer."

RESULTSFifty-one literary sources were selected. The review was divided into the following themes: (1) limitations of the patient decision-making process in conventional medicine; (2) participation of native North American patients in healthcare decisions; (3) towards a feminist approach to breast cancer; and (4) towards a feminist theory of breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONThis article discusses the importance of a feminist approach to the decision-making process for treatment of patients with breast cancer. As the literature suggests, the needs of minority patients are not completely fulfilled in Western medical culture. Introducing feminist theory into evidence-based medicine will help patients to be better informed about treatment choices and will assist them to select treatment according to their own beliefs and values.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to understand and describe health-related experience of women with physical disabilities, using feminist qualitative approach. METHODS: Eight women with physical disabilities participated to the study. Their mean age was 43, ranging from 39 to 67 years old. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews and all interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The transcribed data were analyzed using traditional qualitative content analysis from a feminist perspective. RESULTS: Six major categories emerged from the data. Category 1: "Isolation and alienation from the world.", Category 2: "A distorted self-image of physically disabled body.", Category 3: "Difficulties due to a fixed gender role.", Category 4: "Constant suffering from chronic pain.", Category 5: "Health problems that they have to endure by themselves.", Category 6: "Sublimation through selfreliance." The results of the study show how Korean women with physical disabilities suffer from social stigma, indifferences, and discriminations and struggle to survive in these unfriendly surroundings. CONCLUSION: The results of the study would help health professionals in designing effective intervention to improve health and to empower women with physical disabilities by providing deep understanding and critical insights of those women.
Disabled Persons ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Female ; Feminism ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Qualitative Research ; Social Stigma ; Stress, Psychological

This study was performed to compare the transcultural differences on perimenstrual discomforts, menstrual attitudes and sex role acceptance between Korean and American college students. The subjects, 2557 nursing students were selected from 13 universities all around Korea, and 4 universities in the eastern, western, and middle areas of the United States. The data were collected using the MDQ(Menstrual Distress Questionnaire by Moos), the MAQ(Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire) and the Sex Role Acceptance Scale, the subjects answered the MDQ for three points(premenstrual, menstrual, intermenstrual based on their recollections) between July, 1996 and April, 1997. The findings are as follows : 1. There were significant differences in the age of menarche, duration of menstruation, and menstrual cycle between the Koreans and the Americans. 2. As for sex role acceptance, Americans more frequently denied the traditional female role than did Koreans. 3. There were significant differences between the two groups on five categories of menstrual attitude(menstruation is a phenomena that weakens women physically and psychologically, menstruation is a bothersome phenomena. menstruation is a natural phenomena, and menstruation is a phenomena that does not influence women's behaviors non is expected to). 4, For the menstrual discomfort scores, there were significant differences between the two groups on all six categories of the MDQ(pain, attention deficit, behavioral changes, ANS response, water retention, and negative emotion) for the three points(premenstrual, menstrual, intermenstrual period). 5. The most common complaints for the Korean women were pain during the perimenstrual period and fatigue during the intermenstrual period. In contrast, for the Americans the most common complaint was negative emotions during the perimenstrual period, but less pain than the Koreans, and a similarity to Koreans during the intermenstrual period. 6. Regularity of the menstrual cycle was positively correlated with age of menarche, menstrual cycle, and duration of menstruation. 7. For the interrelationship between of Perimenstrual discomforts, menstrual attitudes, and sex role acceptance, there were significant correlations for both group as follows : First, the MA category "menstruation is a bothering phenomena" was negatively correlated with sex role acceptance, second, the MA category "menstruation is a phenomena that weakens the women physically and psychologically" was positively correlated with the MA category "menstruation onset is a predictable phenomena." For the further research, it is recommended that efficient nursing intervention programs for perimenstrual discomforts, be developed and qualitative re search to demonstrate the cultural differences as the feminism view point be done.
Fatigue ; Female ; Feminism ; Gender Identity* ; Humans ; Korea ; Menarche ; Menstrual Cycle ; Menstruation ; Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Students, Nursing ; United States ; Water

PURPOSE: The purpose is to explore the illness experience of Korean women with breast cancer using feminist phenomenology. METHODS: Data were collected by individual in-depth interviews from ten women with total mastectomy. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method from feminist perspective to reveal implicit socio-cultural norms that oppress women with breast cancer. RESULTS: Two categories and seven major themes emerged: cancer-related experience (1) unfairness of having breast cancer; (2) being confined to the gaze of the others; patriarchy-related experience (3) hardness of being daughter-in-law; (4) struggling to keep on being good mother; (5) continued housework as duty; (6) recognizing self as precious wife, and (7) awakening of true self. All participants felt it was very unfair to get breast cancer because they had done their best for roles of mother, wife, and daughter-in-law. They struggled to free themselves from the social disgrace like the roles imposed by the patriarchal society. By awakening their true selves, they could manage a balance between other-oriented life and self-oriented life. CONCLUSION: Oncology nurses need to provide psychosocial support for women with breast cancer in finding their true selves in a traditional patriarchal society where women are oppressed and breast cancer is stigmatized.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Feminism ; Hardness ; Housekeeping ; Humans ; Life Change Events ; Mastectomy, Simple ; Mothers ; Qualitative Research ; Spouses

It is very important to establish precisely the historical phases of nursing. We nurses should try to acquire the central social position in the health management system in the near the future, the 21st Century. Therefore my treatise aims to orient the desirable phase of the history of nursing through the feministic survey of the history of nursing from the post medieval epoche to the modern epoche. During the time of the renaissance which gave morning light to the modern epoche the antique Athenian thinking of sex was again revived. Athenian excluded the women from the public and autonomous regions. All the medical activity, once dominated by the women, was misfortunately regarded as superstition acted by witches. Accordingly, the nursing women were to hunted as witches. In short, in the early modern epoche, women began to be excluded from the history of medical activities. In the middle modern epoche characterized by the enlightenment movement and early capital economic system, capitalistic patriarchal system began to be formed by change in the economic system. The status of women began to be greatly dropped below by the social distinction of the private dimension of home and the public dimension of job. The woman was deprived of even the occasion to get the official license of medicine and medical institutions were handed to the states or the powerful and rich merchants. Accordingly, nursing acted mainly in the nunnery as the total approach to the patients was destructed wholly and transformed into the means of earning the money. Therefore unprepared low class-women began to engage in nursing only for the money. From then on, nursing activity was tunneled through the dark age for 200 years. In the late modern epoche characterized by the contrast of the accumulated vast capital by industrialization and vast poverty of the peoples, feminism began to float over the surface for the acquisition of equality of men and women from England. A feminist, Nightingale insisted that the women as nurses should be responsible for the healthy life of man. She tried the professional nursing education for women. Accordingly she not only contributed to the intellectual progress of women but also inspired in women the consciousness of the professional job. She tired to realize the ideal of at-that-time-feminists by engaging in nursing all through life. She really paved the road to contemporary nursing. In the near the future, I will write to describe how the late modern epoche nursing has fallen into the dilemma through the 1st and 2nd world wars and matured capitalism and to consider contemporary nursing with the status of women. All these papers aim to give proper recognition of nursing and right orientation of the future 21st Century nursing.
Capitalism ; Consciousness ; Education, Nursing ; England ; Female ; Feminism ; Hand ; History of Nursing ; Humans ; Licensure ; Male ; Nursing ; Poverty ; Superstitions ; Thinking ; World War II