A Choice Outstanding Academic Book

Women’s Health

Complexities and Differences

Edited by Sheryl Burt Ruzek, Virginia L. Olesen, and Adele E. Clarke

“A broad range of topics is addressed, from beauty myths to lesbian health issues, to ergonomics of women’s work. . . . An outstanding contribution to the understanding of women’s health in the U.S., with potential to become a primary reference in the field.” —Choice

Challenging purely biomedical definitions of women’s health, Women’s Health: Complexities and Differences draws attention to social, cultural, and behavioral elements crucial to a broader understanding of the issues. The entire concept of women’s health has been transformed over the past two decades. From an assumption of basic commonalities among women (based on the shared characteristics of the female anatomy and of diseases prevalent among women), the focus has shifted to the differences among women that affect their health and medical treatment.

Sheryl Burt Ruzek is a professor of health education and affiliated professor of women’s studies at Temple University. Virginia L. Olesen is professor emerita of sociology in the School of Nursing, University of California–San Francisco. Adele E. Clarke is an associate professor of sociology and history of health sciences at the University of California–San Francisco.