Malicious Midwives, Fruitful Vines, and Bearded Women — Sex, Gender, and Medical Expertise in the Journal
Abstract
Drawing on over 200 years of archival material, this historical analysis critiques how the New England Journal of Medicine has shaped and perpetuated sexist ideologies under the guise of medical authority. The authors trace recurring themes across three domains: exclusion of women from the medical profession; medicalized control of female reproduction; and the pathologization of intersex individuals. From openly opposing women’s participation in medicine to reinforcing eugenicist views and framing intersex people as deviant, the article reveals a legacy of medical discourse enforcing rigid sex binaries and gender hierarchies. It also highlights moments of transformation, particularly from the 1970s onward, when structural barriers facing women gained wider recognition. The authors argue that sex-based essentialism remains embedded in clinical research and urge a shift toward frameworks that reject binary assumptions, address structural inequities, and uphold the dignity of all gendered and sex-diverse individuals.
Keywords:
sex differences
gender bias
medical history
intersex conditions
reproductive medicine
eugenics
medical exclusion
historical injustice
Article Document
1 / 1
100%