Representações sociais do ser mulher e o câncer de colo do útero

Abstract

Cervical cancer is one of the most frequent types of cancer in the Brazilian female population and ranks fourth in the classification of female cancer mortality. It can demand repercussions on the woman's self-image and self-perception due to the symbolic meanings represented by the diseased organ. Considering that, the present research had the general objective of investigating the Social Representations of being a woman and their relations with daily practices of performing tasks socially attributed to gender, under the temporal cut of oncological treatment for cervical cancer. In this direction, two studies were designed: The first consisted in a survey research through virtual questionnaires with 102 woman, that answered questions about the social representations of what it is to be a woman and the feminine tasks, relating to the social roles performed. The answers were analyzed using simple statistics and the analysis of the evocations was carried by using the OpenEvoc program. The structure of the representations of what it is to be a woman had the terms “strength” as a hypothesis of centrality and “warrior” and “mother” as the terms localized in the first periphery. On the other hand, women's tasks showed the term “home” as a hypothesis of centrality and “male chauvinism”, “children” and “work” in the first periphery. First study’s participants disagree that being a woman is associated to the roles of mother, wife, and housewife, however the social representations mentioned by them suggest the opposite. In study II, five in-depth interviews were conducted with women who underwent oncological treatment for cervical cancer. The interviews were guided by a semi-structured script investigating topics of their lives, social roles, associated tasks, and treatment impacts. The content was submitted to content analysis and obtained as main findings the representations of strength and warrior as guiding practices for the division of tasks within the family, anchored both in values traditionally attributed to gender and in religion as organizer of gender practices. In addition to domestic chores, motherhood was also mentioned as one of the main attributes of women, anchored in the biological function of the uterus. The representations of the strong and fighter woman, rooted in religion and motherhood, shaped the practices of women and their families, maintaining the previous configuration on the family nucleus of the participants, even when the women felt overwhelmed, and when they were dealing with the side effects and temporary symptoms experienced. Thus, the results indicate a connection between social representations, practices, and gender roles in the lives of patients with cervical cancer in the course of the treatment.