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The Yellow Wallpaper: A Gender Analysis

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Mental illness is not commonly associated with gender issues and feminism; however, through this course we studied how throughout centuries gender and intersectionality played a crucial role in one’s treatment and diagnosis. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is one of the first texts we examined that correlated with the role of gender in medical treatment and diagnosis. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of a husband controlling his wife’s treatment, and consequently, she is misdiagnosed and never receives proper treatment. Written in 1892, it successfully exemplifies how gender role’s dictated a woman’s treatment because during this time a wife was subordinate to her husband. Although Perkins continuously explained to her …show more content…

“Sex and Gender Differences in Health” examines the importance gender and sex plays in healthcare because of the obvious biological and pathological differences in men and women. The reading summarizes the purpose of reexamining the medical field, “To discuss and address properly the differences in health and health care between men and women, it is necessary to distinguish between sex and gender and their respective effects on health” (Sex and Gender Differences in Health). For centuries, men have been leaders in the health field; subsequently, treatments have been focused on the male gender. If different approaches had been made in situations like that of Perkins, women may have received better treatment in the past for diseases men do not commonly suffer from, like postpartum depression. Strides are continuously being made to ensure equal healthcare and diagnosis for women; however, people who face intersectionality suffer immensely from a lack of available resources and misjudgments. Suffering from a disability, being a person of color, being a woman, and/or being a member of the LGBTQ community creates immense struggles when seeking everyday healthcare and …show more content…

Notably, females with autism may be closer to typically developing males in their social abilities than typical girls or boys with autism” (Autism- It’s Different in Girls). Similarly, “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit” relates to minorities and autism because the girl, of mixed race, struggles to fit in because she was neither white nor Native American. In order for healthcare to improve, tests must consider the differences when diagnosing a male and female and how no person can fit into a pre-designed mold. The work summarizes this idea as, “To the Pueblo way of thinking, the act of comparing one living being with another was silly, because each being or thing is unique and therefore incomparably valuable because it is the only one of its kind" (Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit). Similarly, those of color struggle to access healthcare because it is most commonly considered to be a disease that only white males suffer

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The Journal of Primary Care and Community Health states, “Physicians delay diagnostic testing, prescribe more generic medications, and avoid referral to specialty care for their patients of low SES versus other patients.” With these staggering results this proves the separation and racism within the medical field. People of color and those who are not as well off, are forced to handle these poor conditions for treatment, while those who are white and with more money are more inclined to get better care and medication. This is the issue with today’s health care because it does not treat every person equally, there is a huge amount of favoritism within the

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Women’s worse health is because they have lower socioeconomic and subordinate status which causes greater stress. Stress can weaken the immune system, cause higher rates of depression and mood disorders. Gender equality has progressed over the years however women still experience discrimination which negatively impacts both their mental and physical health. Researchers found that physicians are not taking female patients pain as serious as men’s because they believe it’s a psychological problem due to anxiety or emotional stress. Women are not as likely to receive the appropriate treatment or diagnostic testing as males and physicians were disregarding serious health problems in female

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In “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Gilman creates a comparison of power between the narrator and her husband through the use of sexism. The narrator, after the Fourth of July, remarks, “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall,” (3). Through this, she presents John’s ultimatum in a way that makes him look as if he is domineering. She implies that she has no say, and that he has the final decision on any of the actions that happen in order to heal her illness of depression. He is simply the dominant one in the relationship, a male with the power to control whatever happens to her.

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Additionally, these stories reveal the great diversity among women. Generally, women are grouped together, as stated by Lorde: “As women we have either been taught to ignore our differences or view them as causes for separation and suspicion rather than forces of change (Lorde, 1979).” Despite the efforts to categorize women’s issues into one mass of problems, White women perceive the world differently than African American women, Hispanic women, Native American women, etc., and vice versa. This conglomeration of “women’s issues” does not address every aspect of being a woman in patriarchal and unjust societies throughout the world.

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Imagine being trapped in a room with no one to talk to and absolutely no one knows what you are going through. You are completely and utterly alone. How would that make you feel? The narrator, of the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, knows almost exactly how that feels. Misogyny and sexism are problems that have been going on for hundreds of years, women have been belittled and ignored by men which makes them feel alone.

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One of the major obstacles affecting black women's access to health care is systemic racism. Racial biases pose a significant danger to black women, as they affect their physical and mental well-being. Studies have shown that race-based medical biases can result in incorrect diagnoses, prolonged wait times, treatment delays, and neglect. These issues make it challenging for black women to receive prompt and adequate health care. Additionally, many black women lack health

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With the ongoing changes on policies in healthcare, it is imperative to consider the legal and ethical issues in health disparities and access to care based on the socioeconomic status. Research have shown over the past 25 years that disparities in the quality of care are highly influenced by individual characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, education, income, and age. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) recognized that providing care is not simply a “one size fits all” approach especially with the diverse population in today’s society. As healthcare professionals, we need to be alert and know how to properly intervene with such disparities so that the care provided is tailored to the individual.

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Educating healthcare providers on the different needs of men and women could potentially save a life. “For too long, women have been treated as ‘little men,’ without an appreciation of the differences in prevalence and symptoms among various conditions and what those differences mean for diagnosis and treatment” (Berg 141). Luckily, since the formation of the Society for Women’s Health Research in 1990, more attention has been paid to biological differences of men and women, allowing for better diagnoses and treatment. To further these advancements, the medical and research establishments must recognize that

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Diversity Not Disparity in Healthcare Where does diversity live in a world of lost equality, according to Abrahamson (2015). “Diversity refers to the whole range of individual perspectives, beliefs, values that you will find in any one group of people, so if you take diversity seriously, you accept that every individual has a right to their own value system and that no person can impose their value system on another.” So, in our communities of healthcare can we accept diversity as equality and individual have rights, beliefs, and values in this system, sometimes disparities have no reasoning, but the resources should be readily available to us. The disparities in healthcare have been around for a long-time people just want to be treated

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These factors increase the minority groups of being uninsured, lack of health care accessibility, receive poorer quality care and experiencing worse health outcomes, including low income individuals and black people (Ubri & Artiga, 2016). In United States, the healthcare disparities are very obvious and it can be clearly seen between urban and rural

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The lack of financial resources can be a big problem to access to health care. The lack of available finance is a barrier to health care for many Americans but access to health care is reduced most among minority populations. The irregular source of care is another reason why access to health is a disparity. Compared to white individuals ethnic or racial minorities are less likely to be able to visit the same doctor on a regular basis and tend to rely more on clinics and emergency rooms (News Medical Life Sciences). 5.

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While attending this support group, Hazel meets Augustus ‘Gus’ Waters, a fellow cancer survivor and potential love interest. At this meeting, you are able to see that medical conditions, like cancer do not discriminate. They impact people of all genders, ethnic backgrounds, etc. It is important to understand the connection between communities and health. According to Masi, one’s health can differ as a result of income, race, and ethnicity (Masi, 2012, p. 144).

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Individual minorities do not always have the opportunity to see a primary provider because the cost is too significant or rural areas don’t have the means to provide substantial health care locations. In a study conducted by Hayes, Riley, Radley, and McCarthy (2015), Black and Hispanic working adults reported a time in the past year when they could not see a health care provider (HCP) because of cost. The cost of seeking a HCP can be significantly higher for uninsured

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a first-person written feminist short story that critiques and condemns the nineteenth-century American male attitude towards women and their physical as well as mental health issues. In the short story, Perkins Gilman juxtaposes universal gender perspectives of women with hysterical tendencies using the effects of gradually accumulating levels of solitary confinement; a haunted house, nursery, and the yellow wallpaper to highlight the American culture of inherited oblivious misogyny and promote the equality of sexes. The narrator and her husband, John, embody the general man and woman of the nineteenth century. John, like the narrator’s brother and most men, is “a physician of high

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Gender Inequality: A Woman’s Struggle in “The Yellow Wallpaper” In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Charlotte Perkins Gilman captures the lives of women in a society based on societal expectations during the late nineteenth century. She focuses on the issue of gender inequality where women were often discriminated against and expected to fulfill the role of a perfect wife and mother. The narrator is based on on Gilman’s personal experience of suffering from her treatment for postpartum depression due to the social restrictions on women which represents a reflection on women's social status in society. The narrator, who remains anonymous, is depicted as a depressed and isolated prisoner who is oppressed under her husband’s control and struggles to break free.

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