“It’s just part of being a woman”: cervical screening, the body and femininity

This paper explores the importance of cervical screening discourses in framing women’s perceptions of femininity. In-depth interviews with 35 women — which focused on experiences of, and feelings about, cervical screening — highlighted how medical discourses embedded within the cervical screening programme shape the feelings of normalcy and sense of obligation associated with having smear tests. With the introduction of the invitation based call and re-call programme in the UK, cervical screening has moved from an ad hoc system to a programme of mass surveillance and regulation of women’s bodies. The paper highlights the ways in which cervical screening discourses were negotiated, accepted and resisted by the women interviewed. Possible theoretical explanations as to why cervical screening discourses have become important in framing femininity are discussed. The paper concludes by suggesting that the meaning and objective of mass screening programmes must be brought into question and re-considered by feminists and those involved with the planning, implementation, research and use of screening services.