LE3 .A278 2007

2007

Abramson, Zelda

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

Sociology

Sociology

The human papillomavirus (HPV) has been recently gained attention due to its connection with cervical cancer. Nearly 70 percent of sexually active adults will acquire the virus at some point in their lives. The new HPV vaccine was approved by Health Canada in the summer of 2006, and is now available for use by Canadian women. This thesis will argue that women are taking unnecessary health risks by altering their natural body chemistry with vaccines, hormones, and drugs for the sake of 'better health' or lifestyle benefits by using products that have been marketed prematurely in what are often gender biased campaigns, as is the case with the recently released human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. This argument will: (1) critique previous research on women's sexual and reproductive health care products and services; (2) analyze gender bias in the scientific, medical and pharmaceutical fields; (3) critically assess promotional campaigns and marketing strategies aimed to endorse the vaccine and; (4) present the results of an online questionnaire I conducted to gather information about HPV and the HPV vaccine using female students at Acadia University.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2905