Abstract
Women in prison have distinct reproductive wellbeing needs. Most are of reproductive age, and many are mothers. Despite an extensive literature on prisoners’ health, the reproductive wellbeing of incarcerated women remains under-researched. Building on Goffman’s (1961) ‘total institutions’ and ‘mortification of self’, Syke’s (1958) ‘pains of imprisonment’, and the expanded concept of ‘gendered pains of imprisonment’, this research project used reflexive thematic analysis to examine the data from semi-structured interviews with 42 Filipino incarcerated women and focus groups with eight prison staff members to answer the following research questions: 1) What is women’s experience of reproductive wellbeing, 2) What are the roles of social networks in incarcerated women’s reproductive wellbeing, and 3) What is the institutional dimension of women’s reproductive wellbeing?
This research project contributes to the growing literature on the gendered pains of imprisonment experienced by incarcerated women. Several participants in the current study described their experience of limited access to reproductive health care and lack of autonomy and control over their reproductive wellbeing. This study also extends the frameworks to encompass the pains associated with women’s reproductive wellbeing. The women’s reproductive wellbeing in this study was experienced and expressed in three broad themes: a) increased reproductive discomforts and decreased relief, b) disempowering experiences, and c) prisoner identity overriding reproductive wellbeing. These themes reflect the women’s experiences of imprisonment, intensifying their reproductive issues and creating distinct needs. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate how reproductive wellbeing needs appeared secondary to their institutionally imposed ‘prisoner identity’, a situation exacerbated by their experience of systemic scarcity and limited autonomy.
The current project demonstrates that social networks serve two functions in women’s reproductive wellbeing. First, findings indicate how women’s hygiene practices, routines and dress were subject to institutionally imposed peer surveillance, negatively affecting their reproductive wellbeing experience. Second, despite the pains of imprisonment and surveillance, women used their social networks as resources to help them maintain their reproductive wellbeing. Specifically, family members’ emotional, instrumental, and financial support helped women cope with reproductive wellbeing issues. For women with limited family support, peers played a family-like role by providing emotional and material supports to sustain women’s reproductive wellbeing. Several participants in this study formed a community to help each other cope with prison deprivations. For instance, sharing menstrual pads and pooling resources to help other women (e.g., women undergoing surgery or paying hospital bills) embody the Filipino cultural value of damayan (helping one another), where inmates contribute to assisting peers in need.
Drawing on Goffman’s total institution, the current project demonstrates how the prison staff navigated the tension between custodian concerns and accommodating the distinct needs of women. The data reveals the impact of prison rules on prison officers’ decisions when confronted with opposing circumstances. In addition, prison nurses expressed the dilemma of managing the difference between the ideal caring role and the actual care because of prison job expectations. Using the concept of carceral geography, this project underscores how prison as a total institution extends beyond the prison walls through disciplinary measures, routines, security practices, and symbols (i.e., prison uniform, prison vehicle) that are continually attached to women during hospital appointments.
This thesis underscores the importance of examining the intersection of reproductive wellbeing and incarceration to lay the groundwork for understanding how prison deprivations are linked to incarcerated women’s reproductive wellbeing. Lastly, the findings highlight the urgent need to reform correctional policies and practices to address incarcerated women’s distinct needs.