A Qualitative Investigation of the Health-Related Behaviours of Women at Midlife: Perceptions of Power and Control

Abstract

This research examines women's ways of understanding health and illness as well as their means of maintaining wellness. It attempts a women-centred approach to explaining health behaviours. The research consisted of in-depth interviews with seven women from Southern Ontario between the ages of 50 and 70. A grounded theory approach guided the analysis. The study shows that perceptions of power and control may be at the root of many attitudes toward health care and various health behaviours. By researching health issues from women's perspectives, this research provides a glimpse of the way these seven women experience midlife, and suggests the existance of perspectives that differ from mainstream views on health and illness. It further demonstrates how theories of agency can be used to shift the focus of sociological research from over-socialized accounts of health-related behaviours to more empowering, woman-centred explanations. It shows that women strive to maintain control of their health and that they pursue wellness in a manner that enables them to keep that control.