Gender and chronic illness: Exploring clinical practices, health activism and lived experience (Tampere University, 26-27 August 2025)
A symposium organized by the Gendered Chronic Disease, Embodied Differences and Biomedical Knowledge (GenDis) project
Venue: Centre Campus
Chronic conditions have emerged as objects of public debate and policy initiatives in recent years. At the same time, there are differences in how specific chronic conditions are perceived: conditions where pharmaceutical pain care is needed often raise concern; conditions with unknown etiology may be challenged; and some conditions are debated as to whether they are illnesses or simply natural variation between people. In the symposium, we explore the role of gender as a category in how chronic conditions are treated, advocated for, and lived with. Through case studies on endometriosis, migraine, fibromyalgia, and other neurological and immunological chronic conditions, the symposium traces how the clinical and public understanding of gender and chronic illness has evolved historically as well as today. We ask: How is gender mobilized in clinical settings, health activism or peer support, and what other discourses of difference, such as ideas of sexuality, race and class, are invoked through gender and chronicity? What tensions arise between different understandings of gender across clinical care, health activism and the ways in which people live with chronic conditions? How can the links between gender and chronic illness be addressed methodologically and theoretically?
The symposium is organized by the project Gendered Chronic Disease, Embodied Differences and Biomedical Knowledge (GenDis) funded by Kone Foundation and the Research Council of Finland and hosted by Tampere Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (TaSTI). The symposium is free of charge, but registration is required. Registration opens in May.
Contact: Associate Professor Venla Oikkonen (venla.oikkonen@tuni.fi)