Biomedicalization of Gender as a Consequence of Gap Between Tacit Knowledge and Expertise of Oncologists

• In Event: 480 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 09. Health Expert Knowledge

Abstract

With increasing biomedicalization, access to technologies, and a feeling of obligation to patient-centered and humanistic medicine, oncologists often default to the medical models that they are trained in and advise technological solutions to gender issues. Given the perceived success of fertility treatment in solving issues around childbirth and their explicit training in a biomedical approach, oncologists utilize technological solutions like breast reconstruction, prostheses (for breasts and testicles), and prescription solutions for issues raised by patients about masculinity and femininity. I argue that oncologists prescribe medical technologies as a means to ‘fix’ certain gendered issues because these psychosocial concerns slip between the cracks of their expertise as trained oncologists and their tacit knowledge on humanistic medicine. Additionally, the blurry professional boundaries of responsibility for addressing these psychosocial issues allow oncologists to medicalize persistent gender concerns not treated by their technological solutions. I argue that oncologists unintentionally reproduce normative ideas about gender by medicalizing masculinity and femininity given their lack of explicit training in psychosocial issues and their reliance practice-based tacit knowledge.

Author

• Laura E. Rogers, University of California, San Diego