The Female Malady, Essay Example

In both “Is Female to Male as Ground Is to Figure?” and “The Female Malady”, the authors are attempting to dispel many myths that surround women. The history of the women is such that they were always considered lesser than man. While women have achieved a degree of equality in the modern day, this is still the case to some extent. In the past however, this point of view was reflected not only in the societal treatment of women, but in their medical treatments as well. This is observable based upon the concept that many diseases were only attainable to women, and that the treatments for these illnesses were somewhat demeaning and arbitrary.

In “Is Female to Male as Ground Is to Figure?”, the author states that “the initiative towards therapy comes not from the patient herself but a man she has in some sense discommended”. For example, it was considered relatively normal that women living in prior centuries were frail and faint because they were considered weaker. In reality, they would regularly fall ill because the clothing they were required to wear would prevent them from breathing regularly and cause them to overheat. However, this was considered a medical malady, since this clothing style would please men. Therefore, this natural reaction to these conditions were assumed to be a medical issue, even though these symptoms were frequently suffered by most women subject to this style of clothing.

Fortunately, the world has evolved in a manner that allowed us to recognize that these health problems were not real diseases and these symptoms could be preventable. However, the modern era continues to discriminate against women’s health care on the basis of birth control and gynecological coverage. Therefore, even though the situation has improved significantly, this attitude towards women still has not been reversed and continues to be problematic.