The normal and the aberrant in female genital cutting

Boddy, Janice

doi:10.14318/hau6.2.008

Cited by 50 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…During the colonial era, government officials introduced measures intended to reduce the harm of infibulation by restricting the severity of cutting. Knowing that traditional birth attendants were the primary providers of FGM/C, midwifery schools established in Sudan in the 1920's taught a modified or "intermediate" (mitwasit) form of cutting that involved the same amount of cutting, but less stitching (Boddy, 2016). In 1946, a law was passed banning infibulation but allowing less severe forms of cutting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in medicalisation of female genital mutilation/cutting: What do the data reveal?

Shell‐Duncan¹,

Njue²,

Moore³

2018

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in medicalisation of female genital mutilation/cutting: What do the data reveal?

Shell‐Duncan¹,

Njue²,

Moore³

2018

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“…In many practicing societies, FGMC is performed to reflect and to uphold injunctive norms about sex differentiation, feminine beauty, and women's sexuality [5,10,53,54]. First, women achieve social recognition by becoming less like men physically [53]; thus, by removing the "male parts" and sometimes enclosing the "female parts," FGMC "feminizes" a girl's body [53][54][55]. Second, FGMC helps to realize the feminine aesthetics of purity, smoothness, and cleanliness [53,55].…”

Section: Community Gender Systems and Fgmc: A Feminist Framework Intementioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, women achieve social recognition by becoming less like men physically [53]; thus, by removing the "male parts" and sometimes enclosing the "female parts," FGMC "feminizes" a girl's body [53][54][55]. Second, FGMC helps to realize the feminine aesthetics of purity, smoothness, and cleanliness [53,55]. Third, by de-emphasizing (and controlling) women's sexuality, FGMC accentuates women's reproductive role [53].…”

Section: Community Gender Systems and Fgmc: A Feminist Framework Intementioning

confidence: 99%

Community gender systems and a daughter’s risk of female genital mutilation/cutting: Multilevel findings from Egypt

et al. 2020

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We tested a feminist social-ecological model to understand community influences on daughters' experience of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGMC) in Egypt, where over 90% of women ages 15-49 are cut. FGMC has potential adverse effects on demographic and health outcomes and has been defined as a human-rights violation. However, an integrated multilevel-level framework is lacking. We theorized that a more favorable community-level gender system, including stronger gender norms opposing FGMC and expanded extrafamilial opportunities for women in the village or neighborhood, would be associated with a daughter's lower risk of FGMC and would strengthen the negative association of a mother's opposition to FGMC with her daughter's risk of cutting. Using a national sample of 14,171 mother-daughter dyads from the 2014 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey, we estimated multilevel discrete-time hazard models to test these relationships. Community gender norms opposing FGMC had significant direct, negative associations with the hazard that a daughter was cut, but women's opportunities outside the family did not. Maternal opposition to FGMC was negatively associated with cutting a daughter, and these associations were stronger where community opposition to FGMC and opportunities for women were greater. Results provided good support for a gender-systems framework of the multilevel influences on FGMC. Integrated, multilevel interventions that address gender norms about FGMC and structural opportunities for women in the community, as well as beliefs about the practice among the mothers of at-risk daughters, may be needed for sustainable declines in the practice.

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“…This double standard is prevalent in several western countries and has been critically discussed by many scholars. [24][25][26][27][28] FGM (VII). Yet, in 16 cases, the investigations were closed and the cases were not taken to court (VIII).…”

Section: The Data Sorted By Whether or Not There Was A Genital Examinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning well while doing harm: compulsory genital examinations in Swedish African girls

Johnsdotter

2019

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters

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In this article, I discuss compulsory genital examinations in Swedish African, mainly Somali, girls. The discussion is based on data from 122 police files, including criminal investigations regarding suspected "female genital mutilation" (FGM). A growing body of research in European countries indicates that processes of cultural change are occurring among immigrant communities from areas where traditionally girls are subjected to what is construed as "circumcision". Many studies show growing opposition to these practices among people who have migrated to Europe, and there is little evidence to support the assertion that largescale illegal activities are prevalent. Yet there is a dominant discourse stating that FGM is secretively practised on a large scale among some immigrant groups in Europe, and policies encourage the detection of cases to charge in criminal court. I describe the current situation in Sweden and highlight some of the drawbacks of a very harsh, although well-intended, policy to check for FGM in Europe. While the ultimate aim is to protect girls at risk for FGM, current policies have ramifications that are invasive and sometimes even traumatising for the girls involved. This paper offers an empirical example of how politics in western multicultural societies may negatively influence the sexual health and rights of a target group, in this case, girls and young women whose families originate from countries where circumcision of girls is practiced.

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The normal and the aberrant in female genital cutting

Cited by 50 publications

References 36 publications

Trends in medicalisation of female genital mutilation/cutting: What do the data reveal?

Trends in medicalisation of female genital mutilation/cutting: What do the data reveal?

Community gender systems and a daughter’s risk of female genital mutilation/cutting: Multilevel findings from Egypt

Meaning well while doing harm: compulsory genital examinations in Swedish African girls

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