n7092695+-+weekly+reflections


 * __Weekly__** __**Reflections**__


 * Week 2 - //Women's Amazing Bodies: How they work, and what happens when they don't.//**

Before I stared studying public health I often didn't understand the difference between sex and gender and didn't really think that there was one. Once I completed a unit called health, culture and society I gain more knowledge on the differences between sex and gender. However many of my friends do not know what the difference between the two is or mix the meaning of them up. I believe that gender is widely misinterpreted, as it is a term that has a very broad meaning and depends on what a person believes fits this term correctly.

By typing into google sex vs gender I came across these two images that I love as they are simple, self explanatory, easy to understand and to the point. They explain very well exactly what the difference between gender and sex is by letting a person visualise the differences between the two.

I found slide 11 to be very interesting, as I had no idea that it was possible according to biological theories to decide the sex of your baby depending on when you had sex. That genuinely surprises me and reminds me that the human body, especially the female body is very clever and truly amazing!

When people in society talk about vaginas there is a social stigma attached to this topic when it comes to sex and how the society sees women in this aspect. For example most men when they have sex with a woman believe that if she is "loose" as opposed to "tight" that she is a slut who gets around (which is why they believe she is loose in the first place). This conclusion is incredibly wrong as the information provided in slide 43, proves that being "loose" is actually a very good thing as our bodies and muscles are designed to react appropriately to sexual pleasure.

I would like to conclude this weeks refection by agreeing with the points raised in the lecture, we have still a lot to learn when it comes to understanding women's bodies, the way we study them and how they are changing due to time and society.


 * Week 3 - //Women in Popular Culture, Advertising, and the Media - Implications for social inequalities and Women's Health//**

This week I learnt about the way the Christian Bible portrays women. I found it interesting how the view of women is similar to that of my religion (Islam). Yet how in todays society it seems that people who believe in Christianity are far more accepting and relaxed about what is acceptable of women’s behaviours compared to that of Islamic women and women from the 1950’s era.

As I was reviewing the lecture slides I found this from the lecture interesting, as I did not know that there was such a strong and believable negative representation of women in the past. “//Eve is woman, and because of her, the prevalent belief in the West has been that **all women are by nature disobedient, guileless, weak-willed, prone to temptation and evil, disloyal, untrustworthy, deceitful, seductive, and motivated in their thoughts and behaviour purely by self-interest.”**// The way that Eve and all women were and are portrayed has a significant impact on the way that people look at us today.

The lecture got me thinking about the 1950’s and how during this time, women were used as a marketing aid to promote many products ranging from holidays, air travel and most obviously household items such as cleaning products.



The two pictures above demonstrate how advertising had a significant impact on the way women and their roles were and are portrayed. The advertisement with the woman next to the vacuum cleaner shows that women didn’t expect to ever review any gifts that weren’t related to her using it in the household to do cleaning or cooking duties for the family. Fast forward to the 2000’s and you can see that the representation of a women is extremely different. The message that the advertisement is trying to get across is a little bit blurred, as there is so much to take in. Here a woman is standing naked near Uluru to promote a perfume. This woman is not just naked, but a representation of how society expects a women’s body to look like, all tanned up with no love handles and a slim figure. As you can see the advertising methods differ between the two eras significantly. The 1950’s advertisement uses the woman as an ‘accessory’ to selling the vacuum in a conservatively dressed state. While 2000’s advertisement uses the woman and her backdrop as a selling point to the product, rather than the product it self.

In Conclusion I would like to say that this lecture got me thinking and asking questions about things like religion and time in relation to women and how they are represented.


 * Week 4 - //The 'Right Time to Have a Child: Changes in Reproductive Trends and Outcomes for Women//**

On of my friends just got married to an Egyptian. The night before she was due to fly out for her wedding, I asked her so ‘what are the plans for kids, how early do you want to have them?’ she said to me ‘I am not sure, when god decides it is the right time, however there isn’t any clear right or wrong message, but rather one that is left to interpretation in our religion (Islam) about contraceptives’. Contraceptives and especially abortions are a very difficult topic to discuss as there is no wrong or right answer, but rather what you personally believe and have an opinion off. I personally believe that contraceptive use should be encouraged, as it is a protective mechanism from STD’s and pregnancies. If a person is using a contraceptive combination of the ‘Pill’ and a male condom then the chances of pregnancy are very slim. Which helps couples to not have to deal with the issue of abortions, as they will not have to face them.

Having a baby at any age is a life changing event. It can impact on the family financially, on the mother’s career, education, health and the family dynamics. I know personally that a newborn addition in the family can at some point in time come as a shock. I was nearly 15 when my mum had my baby brother. She thought about being too old to raise her 3rd child and that it would be hard as she was 36 years old, which she was not wrong about, but I discouraged her from having an abortion (which is illegal in Queensland, unless there is a medical reason). I believe that if there is a stable family home, with an average income and both parents involvement that abortions should not be contemplated. In conclusion women face many challenges during their teens, 20’s, 30’s and 40’s about having a child and the negative and positive costs that are associated with raising a child at the right time in their lives (if there is ever a right time to have a baby that is).


 * Week 5 - //The Fashion Industry and Body Image: Impact on Women's Health Dr Angela Dwyer//**

When I was a child I did not question why Barbie was thin, blond and looked so ‘perfect’. This is because every woman around me displayed at least one of these physical features. Therefore questioning it seems unn ecessary as it was portrayed as a normal look. This type of representation of women was successful when I was a child in the late 1990’s and still is today in 2013. Today the media still plays a vital role in its representation and depiction of women. We are still expected to be ‘ideal and physically appealing to men’, which means being thin with a small waist, big ass, big breasts, perfect hair, flawless and wrinkle free skin and great facial features are some of the most common things we see in advertisements with women.

<-- Barbie from the 1990's<-- Barbie from 2013 As it can be seen from the two images below, the way advertising, especially children’s toys portray women has not changed much during my 21 years on Earth. The shape has stayed the same and everything physical except that the there are now Barbies with brown hair too.

This type of media attention that focuses on women’s physical representation is detrimental to their health. It has devastating effects on their social, mental, emotional and physical health. What annoys me even more that the negative health effects is that no one in the medial world that has the power to make a positive change, actually cares about how this is impacting women and the entire society.


 * Week 6 - //Having a Baby: A Women's Health Perspective//**

This week’s lecture really got me thinking about home births and caesareans. Before this week I believed that all women should have their baby in a hospital where emergency assistance is available at hand in case something goes wrong. My mother was born at home in 1978 in Bosnia. Back then if someone lived in a village or had no local hospital easily accessible then other women from that area would assist in the delivery of a child and in most instances this worked without any issues both in Bosnia and in western countries such as Australia and America. However as time has gone by women have chosen to have their baby in hospital wards in increasing numbers due to a cultural expectation and norm, as well as the promoted better and safer delivery for both the mother and baby. This is an issue for women who live in rural and remote areas, as they do not have access to hospitals and have to have homebirths, yet do not get the same amount or type of support as mothers who live in developed cities such as Brisbane. This is unfair, as the decision making has been taken away from the mothers.

Caesareans in my opinion should only be performed in the event where the mothers and babies life is put in danger. However as the lecture states too many women are now becoming ‘Too Posh To Push”, this is because they believe that it is their choice as it is their body and that they should be able to do what they want. This is an example of how feminism has been used in a manipulative and selfish way by women as a result of our ever growing freedom and liberty.


 * Week 7 - //Changing Gender Roles in Families: Paid Work, House Work, and Child-Raising//**

This week I was presented with a number that I found unbelievable. I always knew that women were payed less then men for the same jobs and that they also had to sometimes work less due to being mums. However what I did not know was that this gap during their lifetime is as high as $1 million. This is ridiculous as women take on so much responsibility yet are not recognised as being equal to males in the workforce. Most women put their careers on hold to raise their children, while not all but most men offload this responsibility to their wives or child carers. Most women struggle to balance their roles and responsibilities, as there are high expectations and standards that are expected from them in their working professions and in their family homes.

The first image shows exactly how women and their amount of pay are viewed in the society. This is as being behind the male and not being able to be independent as we have to rely on the mans help financially. The second image shows that in the past women were hired only because they are cheaper labour and more prone to work in unskilled jobs, which has changed as women start to climb up the ladder of the corporate world. The second image shows that women between each other though the same of each other instead of valuing another woman’s contributions and rewarding it.


 * Week 8 - //Violence Against Women: A Public Health Issue//**

Before todays lecture like many others, I believed that domestic violence affected mainly women from a lower educational, socio economic and culturally diverse background. I did not really think that well of women with higher incomes, living in richer homes and driving nicer cars; in higher socio economic communities with an education suffer from domestic violence. What I learn was that they do. The difference is that although women do not speak out when they are being abused either financially, mentally, physically or socially, the ones who do speak out are the women who seem more ‘vulnerable and prone’ to domestic violence, such as women from lower socio economic and disadvantaged backgrounds. The reason for this in my opinion is because women who are ‘well off’ believe that they have too much to lose if they speak out. This usually consists of their lifestyle, materialistic items and the way that their peers will view them.

Having personally seen what domestic violence can do to women and a family I know that women should never be blamed and that education is a crucial part if any change is going to be made in a positive manner and maintained. It is crucial that the community understand that it is not a private issue that should be dealt with at home, but an issue that needs to be addressed by the community as a whole. Education about domestic violence to all is vital in a high school environment to curb this behaviour and the negative health consequences it has.


 * Week 9 - //Health of Indigenous Women//**

Before I moved to Australia I did not know much about the existence of the Indigenous population, let alone the differences between them and “white Australians”. Through my high school and university life I have learnt a lot about the Indigenous culture and their health status, inequalities and challenges they face. Although most of the statistics and information I read was not new to me, it still non the less didn’t cease to surprise me. It is unacceptable that the Indigenous population suffers greatly from inequalities in every aspect of their lives due to ill health, a lover education, lower socio economic status, family break down and earlier and increased rates of mortality. I think it is very sad that many Indigenous people today suffer from illnesses, and lifestyle behaviours that have been introduced to them by colonisation from English settlers. A lot of the health issues that must be addressed for Indigenous populations relate to encouraging a more stable way of living that is similar to the traditional way they used to live. Which mean encouraging exercise, which will reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and lead to better mental health. Offcourse this can not be achieved over night and there n eeds to be a commitment from all sectors and communities.




 * Week 10 - //Healthy Ageing of Women//**

The lecture content this week was a bit foreign to me as my mother is still young being in her early 40s and all of my other extend family living overseas, I have never really been around any women going through things like menopause. I am glad that I was introduced to this topic so that when my mother gets to this stage in her life, I will be able to provide some type of assistance to her to help her better deal with it and understand what is happening to her body and why. It is obvious that as we age we encounter more health issues. This is why especially for aging women I found it even more important that they maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This lifestyle must consist of outdoor exercise, healthy eating, up to date monitoring of their health (e.g. Pap smears, mammograms and blood pressure checks) and a reduction in risky behaviours such as smoking and alcohol consumption. It is also important that women seek education and information about healthy aging from their doctor.

I found the website below very useful and simple for women seeking information on how to age in a health manner with information on topics as brad as diseases and conditions to planning your future.

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health, (2001). //Healthy Aging | womenshealth.gov.// Retrieved from http://womenshealth.gov/aging/


 * Week 11 - //Women's Health in Same-Sex Relationships//**

This week’s lecture got me thinking about lesbians and how they are portrayed in the society and workforce. Usually lesbians are described as looking as tomboys, who have piercings, tattoos, short hair and wear manly baggy clothing. However this is not always the case especially in the professional environment as many women still dress and look like ‘straight women’ but identify as being lesbian. Discrimination against these women is rife in the community and as always gay men have become more accepted in the community and much faster than lesbian women. This again goes to show that even if a male is not ‘straight’ it is still more likely that society will eventually accept him. This type of discrimination can lead to many lesbians suffering from detrimental health issues such as depression (mental), a change in appearance (physical), feeling singled out (emotional), being excluded from the community (social) and not being employed (financially). There needs to a greater focus from all sectors to help address these issues, because lesbians are here to stay and the issues they face will get out of control if we do not take appropriate action to assist them soon. It is important to remember that every single individual deserves equal access, treatment, education, rights and opportunities to better their lives, being straight or lesbian should have no influence on this.

This image I found, I though was quite clever as it shows that society accepts two women who appear to be best friends touching each other as appropriate but leads the view to believe that it is not so accepting of lesbians behaving in such a way.


 * Week 12 - //Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Women Across the Ages//**

This week my knowledge about mental health and substance abuse was reinstated. The mental health of women is negatively affected when alcohol is involved at all times. Some women try to justify drinking by saying that it helps them deal with the issue better, but in reality it is not solving anything and just making things worse. What women should be doing to deal with their mental health is talk to someone they trust, go see a doctor or a qualified health professional such as a councillor or psychologist, go exercise, eat health, find a leisure activity the enjoy doing and socialise. Although doing any one of these things is challenging when you are trying to deal with a mental illness it is important that women know to take it one small positive step at a time. There is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol in a happy and positive environment in measured amounts. There is however something wrong when a women drinks alcohol excessively every day to help her deal with her daily life stressors and to suppress negative feeling and doubts they may have about themselves and their abilities to deal with things. The fact that young women are binge drinking in excessive numbers is not good as with time society may normalise and accept this behaviour, which will lead to a blurred and misunderstood view of substance abuse and women’s mental health.

The images below represent women drinking excessively, women drinking to deal with their issues and a great quote!




 * Week 13 - //International Women's Health: How The Other Half Live and Die//**

This week really interested me, as I like international health a lot. Some facts and stats that really jumped out at me from this weeks lecture are that “women do two thirds of the world’s work. Yet they own only on tenth of the world’s income, and own less than one per cent of the world’s property. They are among the poorest of the world’s poor”. I found this confronting and angering, as it is extremely unfair and unjust. Many women all around the world especially in developing countries face extremely hard challenges when it comes to dealing with their health. These challenges are social, cultural, political, economical, mental, physical and health related. All of these challenges are an international violation of their human rights, which is now being addressed and targeted by the United Nations and World Health Organization. I am a women who cam to Australia a western country from a country that was rich in its own culture and practices, I personally know what it is like to be living in both environments, at times it made me think that there are double standards for women depending on where they live. This angers me, as there is so much knowledge, so much money and so much assistance that can be provided to the world’s most disadvantaged women in order to raise the bar and bring their health status on an equal level right around the world.

Overall I would like to say thank you for a great unit I have learnt a lot and I felt like I connected with what was being taught. A lot of my friends who are Bosnian do not think like me nor do they care much for women’s health however I have constantly challenged them and raised their awareness of some of these key issues, thank you for assisting me in this.


 * //Ermina Jusic, PUB336 Women's Health//**