Female accounts: gender and perceptions of chemically dependent women

Abstract

Science understand chemical as a complex, multifactorial, and controversial phenomenon. The consumption of psychoactive substances and the problems arising therefrom are common to individuals of different genders, age groups, economic classes, and social groups; however, these constructs have different weight according to their role in the structuring of subjectivities and their relationship with the social environment. This study sought to understand the relationship between gender issues and chemical dependence from the perception of women who sought healthcare for substance abuse. This qualitative research consisted of interviews conducted with women dependent on psychoactive substances, either legal – such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs – or illegal – marijuana and cocaine. Data was analyzed according with Bardin’s content analysis, based on studies on gender and chemical dependency. The results demonstrate that gender issues strongly mark how women perceive themselves, the mean through which drug abuse movements reproduce female roles, and how society validates their behaviors. These findings suggest that gender issues permeate the experiences linked to chemical dependence, singularizing the relationship between women and the drug.