Womanist Ethics and Inequality in
Women’s Mental Health:
A Transcultural Analysis of Race, Class, and
Gender
Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Candler School of Theology, Emory University
Morehouse School of Medicine
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Definition of Womanist
As defined by Alice Walker in her book, In Search of Our Mother’s
Garden: Womanist Prose, a womanist is a black feminist or feminist of
color. Committed to the survival and wholeness of entire people, both
male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically for health.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
PURPOSE
To address the issues of inequality in women’s mental health from a
womanist perspective.
To examine the particularities and universality of black women in the
United States, Caribbean, and South Africa and their experiences with
accessing mental health care and treatment.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
BACKGROUND
Black women’s health is a cultural production of biological, social,
environmental, and economic conditions impacting their quality of life.
Black women’s methods of coping in a white male structured society
are based upon their own cultural conditions.
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Inequality in Mental Health
The World Health Organization defines health as a complete state of
physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.
Women’s health involves the emotional, social, and physical well-being
and is determined by the biological, social, political, and economic context
of their lives. However health and well-being eludes the majority of
women and even more so black women.
Mental disorders related to marginalization, powerlessness, and poverty
along with overwork and stress are growing concerns for black women.
Yet there is a significant gap between the mental health resources that
black women need and the resources that actually exists.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Inequality in Mental Health
There are a lack of studies in mental health directed towards black
women, thus information concerning women of African heritage and
mental health is not readily available.
For black women who face sexism and class disadvantage, the adoption
of negative attitudes among mainstream health clinicians can translate
into negative treatment options in some cases and denial of access to
appropriate treatment in others.
In the same regards that male therapists devalue women by looking for a
medical or biological reason for explaining abnormal behavior, white
feminist therapists devalue black women by not recognizing that
traditional constructs of mental health need to be expanded to include
ethnic and cultural diversity.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Beijing Platform for Action
The Beijing Platform for Action states that women have the right to
enjoy the highest attainable standards of mental health regardless of
gender, race, or class. However, research shows that racial, socioeconomic and gender inequalities strongly impact black women’s
experiences with mental health care and treatment.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH

Increase women’s access to appropriate, affordable, and
quality mental health care:
(a) Reaffirming the right for women to enjoy the highest attainable
standard of care by incorporating the affirmation in national legislation
and policies to reflect a commitment to women’s mental health;
(b) Ensuring that all mental health service workers conform to human
rights as well as ethical, professional, and gender sensitive standards in
the delivery of women’s mental health services;
(c) Design and implement mental health programs that are gender
sensitive and addresses the needs of all women regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural differences;
(d) Taking measures to eliminate inappropriate medication and overmedication of women as well as making sure that all women are
informed of their options in treatment and care.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH

Promote research and disseminate information on
women’s mental health:
(a) Conducting mental health research that allows for the use of data
collected and analyzed to include variables providing specific
demographic information, such as sex, age, and socio-economic
status;
(b) Increase funding for preventive behavioral, and epidemiological
health service research on women’s mental health issues as well as
research on the social, economic, and political causes of women’s
mental health problems and consequences.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH

Increase resources and monitor follow-up for women’s
health:
(a) Increasing budgets for mental health care and services, with
adequate support for follow-up care and treatment;
(b) Develop mental health services and preventive health programs
that promote gender sensitive community-based participation and selfcare;
(c) Give higher priority to women’s mental health and develop
mechanisms for coordinating and implementing the health objectives of
the Platform for Action and relevant international agreements to ensure
progress.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
RATIONALE
Women of postmodern and third world cultures have questioned the
applicability of international human rights documents, given that they
are usually Western derived and developed in the absence of and
largely without regard to women from non-western cultures. However
for this paper, we will focus our attention to whether or not the
applicability of the Beijing Platform for Action is extended to include
black women of African heritage.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
METHODS
A transcultural analysis of women’s mental health articulated as a human
right in the Beijing Platform for Action and the concern of inadequate care
and treatment that disproportionately affects black women due to race,
class, and gender.
Examine and critique the Beijing Platform for Action (drafted in 1995)
using the universality and particularities of black women of African
heritage to determine whether or not the document’s identity of the
subject of human rights is universal for all women in all cultures, given the
intersectionality of gender, race, and class of black women often has
more significant differences than commonalities.
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Observations
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Universality of Black Women
Caribbean
United States
South Africa
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Universality of Black Women
Black women are not only oppressed by the constructs of white supremacy
in the larger society, black women also have to endure the oppressive
strongholds of sexism and classism that occur within their own racial and
ethnic communities.
Despite nationality, marital status, or educational background, all black
women, whether in the United States, the Caribbean, or South Africa,
experience either the combined or independent effects of racism, sexism,
classism, and oppression, both internally and externally.
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Particularities of Black Women
Caribbean
South Africa
United States
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Particularities of Black Women
Black women of African heritage share a universal bond of many
commonalties, yet the tradition of gender roles, differ in respect to their
individual cultures.
While black women collectively struggle to survive in a world filled with
mental anguish, physical abuse, and emotional agony, by assimilation
and compliance, black women may respond differently to culture
gender role norms.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Black Women in the United States
Black Women in the Caribbean
Black Women in South Africa
Born into a social environment,
historically filled with racist, sexist, and
classsist oppression that
institutionalizes the devaluation of
African-American women as it idealizes
their white counterparts.
Possesses a culturally rich heritage of
languages, religions, and ethnic
diversities, where religious beliefs and
practices are vital components of her
culture.
Born into a culture where gender has
been used by societal institutions to
dominate and subjugate black women
as members of a disenfranchised group.
Often exploited and stereotyped as
being inferior, lacking sexual restraint,
and being less intelligent than their
white counterparts.
Views race differently since blacks are
in the majority. Oppression becomes
more of a function of intra-cultural
dynamics.
Within their own culture, are treated and
valued as possessions.
Regardless of socio-economic status or
education level, will experience a high
rate of depression and low self-esteem,
due to feelings of deficiency in their
roles in society.
Women do not talk about their
problems, emotions are seldom
expressed verbally, and there is very
little if any discussion about issues of
mental health.
Poor mental health is a major concern
and is often the result of the adverse
socio-political conditions.
Often accused of harboring violent
tendencies or of being ‘angry’.
Believes that when things go wrong in
life it is either the result of something
they’ve done or witchcraft.
Little to no information on women’s
mental health due to Colonial
psychiatrists’ notions of the “happy
native theory”.
Many internalize the stereotype of
strong matriarch, where she
acknowledges no personal pain, can
bear all burdens and will take care of
everyone.
Historically mental health care has not
been a positive experience. Many who
seek mental health care are more than
likely to be detained in locked wards of
psychiatric hospitals, diagnosed as
suffering from schizophrenia or receive
extremely high dosages of medication.
Colonial psychiatrists have said that
depression does not exist in black
South African culture because
“depression is something that happens
in the realm of sophisticated people, not
primitive people (i.e. black South
Africans).
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RESULTS
Although the Beijing Platform for Action was written as a universal
framework advocating women’s rights, racism and classism prohibits the
document from functioning with a universal understanding. Mental
health is a multi-dimensional issue requiring a multi-dimensional
approach to addressing it.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Transformation in Mental Health Care for
Black Women
If the Beijing Platform for Action is to have any relevance to women
everywhere, specifically black women of African heritage, racists concepts
and conceptions of cultural forms and habits, must be challenged.
Mental health has many different meanings that are comprised of several
dimensions. Not only does it concern the issue of medical maintenance;
but it extends to include the cultural dynamics of religion and ethics.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
Transformation in Mental Health Care for
Black Women
Mental health reform from a womanist perspective means:
(1) understanding that black women’s life experiences under oppression
are real and should be included in standards of care;
(2) exploring an interdisciplinary approach of religion, ethics, and public
health, in order to provide black women of African heritage with
adequate mental health care and treatment.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH
CONCLUSIONS
To declare mental health rights for “all” as stated in the Beijing Platform
for Action, we must consider how cultural differences impact women’s
rights, specifically black women. Thus an anti-racial ethic of care and
cultural competency is required in mental health practice to improve
inequalities among black women.
The Beijing Platform for Action sought to identify women’s rights as
human rights, which includes equality in mental health care.
However, we find that differences of race, ethnicity, and culture
determine the difference of whether or not women of African heritage
are considered as human or not.
Created by Corliss D. Heath, MPH