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This core module in the MSc Women’s Health aims to address current and controversial issues facing women’s health today, including maternal mortality, gender identity issues, access to healthcare, reproductive technologies, menopause management, preventative cancer care, and more. We do this not only through examining a variety of contemporary issues, often presented by leading scholars and scientists in the field, but also by giving you a set of core sociological and theoretical concepts and tools with which to think about those examples. The three weeks of this module are organised around three themes: 1) Medicalization and the Social Determinants of Health; 2) Inequality, Intersectionality and Stratification; and 3) Reproductive Politics. There is a strong emphasis on interactive discussion and debate, as well as group work and student presentations. We want you to think critically not only about women’s health and its challenges, but also about your own perspectives and potential biases.

After taking this module you should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of medicalization and social determinants of health and usefully apply these to a range of health conditions.
• Assess the impact of inequality, intersectionality and stratification on a range of women’s health outcomes.
• Critically consider debates in women's health and reproductive health from different perspectives.
• Appreciate the social and political influences on women’s healthcare, both in the UK and globally.

Introductory Reading:
Halfmann D. Recognizing medicalization and demedicalization: Discourses, practices, and identities.ÌýHealth. 2012;16(2):186-207. doi:

Karvonen S, Kestilä LM and Mäki-Opas TE (2018) Who Needs the Sociology of Health and Illness? A New Agenda for Responsive and Interdisciplinary Sociology of Health and Medicine.ÌýFront. Sociol. 3:4. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2018.00004