Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;32(1):108-120.
doi: 10.1177/10497323211049225. Epub 2021 Dec 6.

Emotional Health Work of Women With Female Genital Cutting Prior to Reproductive Health Care Encounters

Danielle Jacobson  1 , Daniel Grace  1 , Janice Boddy  2 , Gillian Einstein  1   3   4
Affiliations

Emotional Health Work of Women With Female Genital Cutting Prior to Reproductive Health Care Encounters

Danielle Jacobson et al. Qual Health Res. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

We used institutional ethnography to explore the social relations that shaped the reproductive health care experiences of women with female genital cutting. Interviews with eight women revealed that they engaged in discourse that opposed the practices of cutting female genitals as a human-rights violation. This discourse worked to protect those affected by the practices, but also stigmatized female genital cutting, making participants anticipate experiencing stigmatization during health care. Women's engagement in this discourse shaped their emotional health work to prepare for such encounters. This work included navigating feelings of worry, shame, and courage to understand what to expect during their own appointment; learning from family/friends' experiences; and seeking a clinic with the reputation of best care for women with female genital cutting. It is important to strive for more inclusive health care in which women do not have to engage in emotional health work to prepare for their clinical encounters.

Keywords: cultural competence; emotion work; gender; health care; health promotion; minorities; users’ experiences; women’s health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Abathun A. D., Sundby J., Gele A. A. (2016). Attitude toward female genital mutilation among Somali and Harari people, Eastern Ethiopia. International Journal of Women's Health, 8(8), 557–569. 10.2147/IJWH.S112226. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agbemenu K., Banke-Thomas A., Ely G., Johnson-Agbakwu C. (2019). Avoiding obstetrical interventions among US-based Somali migrant women: A qualitative study. Ethnicity & Health, 26(7), 1082–1097. 10.1080/13557858.2019.1613519. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Allam H. (2018). Two girls had their genitals cut, but a judge dismissed their case—here’s why. Buzzfeed News. www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hannahallam/fgm-dawoodi-bohra-genital-cutti... (Accessed 3 February 2020).
    1. Ameresekere M., Borg R., Frederick J., Vragovic O., Saia K., Raj A. (2011). Somali immigrant women’s perceptions of cesarean delivery and patient-provider communication surrounding female circumcision and childbirth in the USA. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 115(3), 227–230. 10.1016/j.ijgo.2011.07.019. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andro A., Lesclingand M. (2016). Female genital mutilation. Overview and current knowledge. Population, 71(2), 224–296. 10.3917/popu.1602.0224. - DOI

Publication types

Grants and funding