Análise do discurso de gênero no contexto hospitalar: perspectivas dos pacientes

Abstract

Understanding gender as a social marker that organizes relationships between subjects, this principle is characterized as a normative of social practices through distinct categorizations for the feminine and the masculine. Various cultures and societies transform these differences into inequalities that have been expressed in all dimensions of human existence, including the health/illness process and in the way subjects engage themselves in health services. However, speaking of gender dimension as a fundamental part of the health problem, it is emphasized not only the peculiarities resulting exclusively from the biological difference between men and women, but also the effort to understand in which ways the ideas of femininity and masculinity, as a social construct, permeate these practices in order to enable more effective interventions on the subjects’ health. Therefore, this research aimed to understand the Discursive Formations (DF) of gender related to the health care of women (Study One) hospitalized in gynecology/obstetrics wards and of men (Study Two) hospitalized under the specialty of urology in a hospital institution. Thirteen women and seven men participated in these studies. Data collection was done through a semi-structured interview script and all interviews were audiographed and transcribed in full. Subsequently, the data was organized and analyzed in the light of the Pêcheux’s Discourse Analysis. It was found that the main DF identified traditionalisms and stereotypes of genders, socially and historically constructed, as guiding the formulations of the participants, based on an Ideological Formation (binary) that prescribes to the members of a society rules of conduct, among them, the ways of exercising health care. The field of health was considered as a discursive space of (re) production of gender stereotypes and inequalities, based on Ideological and Imaginary Formations that are constituents of the ways in which the subjects transit in this scenario. It is proposed to understand gender issues as a cross-cutting content in all health areas and contexts, starting from the perspective that a better understanding of the feminine and masculine universe in relation to health care, based on gender issues, may favor the provision of programs and services more consistent with the real demands and needs of these populations. Finally, it is understood that in order to overcome this set of social and institutional constraints, it is essential to discuss public health policies (among them, PNAISM and PNAISH) as instruments that can contribute to the organization of health care models and of health care practices that recognize and contemplate the subjective and social issues of each individual. Therefore, the health field needs to be constantly questioned about its actions and how they intend to reach the population in an integral way.