File spoon-archives/marxism-psych.archive/marxism-psych_1996/96-12-11.201, message 95


Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 23:43:09 GMT
From: Chris Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org>
Subject: M-PSY: women and mental health


With reference to Catherine's queries, the copyright post I saw,
restricted to the APC networks, was by a correspondent of 
the InterPress Third World News Agency and was on a conference
(bulletin board) about Peru at ppn.peru-AT-gn.apc.org, available to 
subscribers to the sister organisations of the APC. I am 
afraid I have no idea about access through the Web. 

The report is about something called "the Working Group on 
Women's Mental Health", which appears to be a specifically Peruvian 
organisation. The two psychiatrists quoted have as first names 
Marta and Patricia. A consultant with UNICEf has the first name
Pilar. 

The accompanying text emphasises the relative progress made
by women in Peru, and although Peru has one of the highest
figures for rape, it refers only to sexual harassment. It is not
clear how much the Working Group or the press release are getting
any assistance from government agencies linked with President Fujimori's
government, or whether on the other hand 
the working group has any links with his estranged wife.

But is it hypocritical to take part in an initiative like this by
the World Federation of Mental Health?

And technically how would you measure self-esteem?


Is this all diversionary? 

One specialist is quoted as saying:
''for 20 years, the women's movement has been
stressing participation in the labour market.''

This is not only because it reduces the situation of dependence,
but also because it ''improves self-worth, and signals women's
capacity to incorporate themselves as subjects into the world of
social relations.''

''In one of our surveys, one women who was the owner of a small
business answered the question 'What do you want your children to
be in the future?' by saying 'My daughters want to be like me,
because I bring more money into the house','' 



But won't women always be at a disadvantage competing in the 
sale of their labour power with men, in a situation where they are
not equally placed in the sale of their one commodity, labour power,
because they also rear children, and reproduce labour power, and 
have to have career breaks.


Brenda argued that the World Federation for Mental Health is 
patriarchal. But I wonder what her justification is for this.


She asks "Will [the survey] be used to
enhance womens sense of well being and freedom or will it be used to
further oppress them." It seems to me likely it will be used
for both purposes.


Brenda also points out in her comments:

>>>
Women have become wary of studies into their behaviour, lifestyles, in fact
studies into how they survive in what is often a hostile social environment
may not help them but in the long term be used against them resulting in
further opression.  
<<

But isn't it the equivalent of being "colour blind" - to fail to try
to collect information on the inequalities in the mental health of 
women?

What should marxists do?



Chris Burford

London.


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