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Mental, physical and social health are all combined. They are similar to the normal imbalances in the body. Chito Nwana is a female who speaks upon the idea of women's mental health in society. She is a Gynecologist who noticed that in the year of 2020 there was a rise of psychological distress caused by the burden of care. It was found that women want themselves to be checked to make sure that they are “good” before they do anything in society such as get married, have children or a job. Women do this more often than men because they receive a lot of pressure from society and their family. Along with pressure from family, Nwana explains how people who are close to females stigmatize their feelings which isolates them making them feel like they are alone even when there's a lot of people around them.

Stigma is a mark of disgrace set on somebody that sets them apart. Stigma limits and prohibits you from your free will and it is something that an individual will never fully be able to recover from. Besides stigma caused, personal experiences are events that can cause mental illness to arise for females in society. Nwana lost her mother in 2017. This caused her emotional pain and affected her work and creativity. To overcome this, she started publicly speaking to more formally accept it. Similar to how her personal struggles of her mom guided her actions in life, the personal struggles of las mariposas are what guide them together under one umbrella. Alvarez shows how the resistance against women in politics can even be propagated by the women themselves. To overcome the mental illness caused by the reign of Trujillo, Alvarez speaks upon the ideas of how the women used menstruating, falling in love, obsessing over clothing, and getting married and having children to cope with the abusive ruling of Trujillo.

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Chito Nwana: Breaking the Stigma: Women & Mental Health

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According to a World Health Organization Report, across the world, one person takes their life every 40 seconds. This calls for serious concern. Dr. Chito Nwana uses her personal experiences as a women's health provider to help the audience understand ways to challenge their thinking and join the fight to reduce the stigma of mental health that has led to significant morbidity and suicide.

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The Women's March, held in 2017, was a protest march for women's rights happening right after the inauguration of president Donald Trump. Connie Burkhart was one individual who attended this protest. Women who took part in this protest feared what might come from the protest. This caused anxiety which is also a mental illness because they were "scared by the effort they were prepared to make". Idaho is a republican state. Because they are republican, women's rights are very limited. This caused women to have no respect for the president and wanted to stand up for not just female rights but all of human rights. In attempt to stop President Donald Trump, women set up meetings with an "invisible group". This was similar to the underground government formed in the novel of In the Time of the Butterflies. Both were scared that it would be pointless and ineffective mainly because it was women trying to fight against a general or higher power but by joining together under one similar interest, they were able to all feel like family. Family is important when going through some type of mental illness caused by things around you because those people around you give you courage to continue on.

This protest was a non-violent ideology of the civil rights movement against a higher power. These women fought for their own rights to help their mental health and make them live a better life. Although they had a voice, it was not one that could overcome the abusive ruler. "The cuts were getting harsher" and people were distracted by other events going on around the world. Trump ended up banning travel making it so women could not travel their voices around the world. Similar, in the novel of In the Time of the Butterflies, Las Mariposas were killed because General Trujillo did not approve of their movement and did not want it to continue. President Donald Trump also threatened to defund reproductive healthcare more formally known as "planned parenthood". In conclusion, women stood up for their rights and mental health but there was little to no change sending them back into mental illness of believing that they will never be good enough in this world.

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Kirsty Latoya is an artist based out of South-London. She is 25 years old and uses her stylus to draw on an ipad to unpack the community of mental health. Art is seen as a therapy or treatment of “mental or physiological disorders”. Women connect to each other through art and find inner peace. Her journey through art provides an inspirational story about the mental health of women and how they strive in black communities.

Similar to Julia Alvarez, Latoya uses her own experiences to shape her art. The pain both of them have been through allows them to strive through writing and artwork. In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies written by Julia Alvarez, Las Mariposas travel through dark times when General Trujillo is in reign. Las Mariposas are females who are courageous and stand up against the abusive Trujillo. Although they did want to fight for their independence, they were full of fear which soon led to anxiety, a mental illness. Trujillo was an oppressive and abusive ruler to all individuals, but mainly women as he brutally murdered women who were just trying to stand up for their independence. Similarly, in this art piece, women in black communities were not treated with respect. To hide from their mental health, they were hidden behind a mask. But when guided by self-imposed experiments, a woman is able to feel more empowered and wants to advocate the meaning of mental health and how individuals can grow from it.

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This poem speaks upon the role of women in society in an extraordinary way. Butch Decatoria explains how she finds hope and love throughout each role as a woman. She describes herself as one who suffers that most in order to bring new life to this world. Women are stuck under the role of being a mother. This causes a lot of stress because she will stay awake and worry about her child. This also makes a woman strong. She is allowed to understand her own strengths and weaknesses making her equal in strength to that of a male.

The poem explains that a woman will be “ready to charge into the war by his side”. This connects easily to the novel In the Time of the Butterflies because las mariposas were able to gain strength from their own female experiences and escape their mental illnesses. When they gained strength, they were able to create an underground government to fight against the abusive leader of the Dominican Republic, General Trujillo.

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From household to government, mental health has always had a major impact on women. What might oppression look like against women today? Women have been faced with oppression since the beginning of time. While faced with oppression, societal sexism plays a big role in the mental health of women. Societal sexism leads to "pay discrepancies, psychological, sexual and physical abuse" and within women it causes addiction and mental disorders. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), compares mental disorders of women to men and found that women are up to ten times more likely to have an eating disorder, develop PTSD and suffer from panic episodes and anxiety disorder.

How does oppression impact the mental health of women? Societal expectations, psychological and physical abuse and workplace discrimination all contribute to the mental health of women. Societal expectations span throughout the workforce, household and family structures. This causes stress leading to mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Long terms affects are prolonged periods of mental illness. Up to 30% of women suffer psychological and physical abuse in their lifetime. Similar to this idea, both Trujillo and Jaimito are physically and mentally abusive to women. Workplace discrimination is also apparent in todays world. Female dominated professions are more likely to pay less and this again, causes stress for women. Due to stressful patterns, the brain craves relief leading to alcoholism. Women face barriers when they try to seek treatment which makes it more difficult for women to escape mental illness.

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It's been over 100 years since women in the United States of America won the right to vote, and physical abuse against women became illegal.

However, oppression against women is still felt strongly today. From household conversations to government decisions, the impact on mental health runs deep.

According to national statistics, more than a century later, a third of US women have been victims of physical abuse at the hand of their partners . Meanwhile, a growing number of women are falling victim to disorders such as anxiety, depression, and addiction.

A growing body of research suggests gender inequality and the systemized oppression of women contribute to disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. It begs the question - are we any closer to dismantling oppression against women and its devastating effects?

What Does Oppression Against Women Look Like Today?

Societal sexism is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. We hear it in subtle ways; the way supervisors might speak to women in meetings, how filmmakers portray heroines in movies, and the expectation of mothers versus fathers.

It also manifests in more obvious ways- pay discrepancies, psychological, sexual, and physical abuse.

Decades of research show women as the more oppressed, victimized, and marginalized gender in every corner of the world.

Sadly, mental disorder and addiction statistics increasingly reflect this.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) , women are:

About twice as likely to experience a depressive episode

Twice as likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder

Up to 10 times more likely to have an eating disorder

Twice as likely to suffer from a panic disorder

More than twice as likely to develop PTSD.

The facts are stark and confronting. So, how does marginalization lead to these outcomes?

Five ways oppression against women impacts mental health

Societal expectations

The daily pressures placed on women have continued mounting for decades.

These pressures span workforce, household, and family structures, all upheld and reinforced by patriarchal systems and institutions. This can cause untold stress, which studies have linked to mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. High levels of stress over a prolonged period can contribute to poorer mental health outcomes and increase the risk of a severe mental illness.

Psychological and physical abuse

While anyone can fall victim to psychological and physical abuse, it is widely considered gendered. According to the World Health Organisation, about 30% of women suffer abuse in their lifetime. From manipulation to severe physical and sexual abuse, its psychological implications can be tragic and long-lasting. Self-medication can become an escape for women who don't feel safe or empowered to seek support elsewhere.

Everyday discrimination

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale found that women who feel discriminated against because of their gender have higher depression scores. This supports the idea that perceived discrimination and systemized oppression against women have a powerful impact on mental health.

Barriers to mental health

Between the expense of treatment and its stigma, support isn't always easy to access. In addition, past trauma means some may not be comfortable sharing their experiences around men at support groups.

Workplace discrimination

Gender pay inequality has plagued workplaces worldwide, with female-dominated professions more likely to pay less(teaching, nursing, etc.).

As more women juggle the demands of being the primary caregiver while navigating full-time jobs, the stress can be profound.

The Addiction Cycle

The numbers paint a clear picture - psychological distress and addiction often overlap. And it can be deadly. Each year, approximately 200,000 women lose their lives due to misusing substances, according to Psychology Today. Over 4.5 million women are recorded as having a substance abuse disorder. It's another tragic symptom of oppression against women that goes overlooked. The stigma has led millions of women to suffer in silence.

Here's h ow oppression against women leads to addiction:

The brain craves relief from stressful thought patterns

Women live in a world where they are generally less represented, safe, paid, and, ultimately, valued. From conversations to media - oppression against women is reinforced daily, impacting wellbeing. Self-medication and substance use - whether alcohol or other drugs - offer a dangerous, short-term escape from this reality.

A lack of trust in the system

When there is a lack of treatment available, women sometimes opt for self-medication. For example, if someone visits the doctor with declining mental health and her concerns are dismissed, she may not return if her circumstances worsen. A sense of helplessness and a lack of support can begin a pattern of self-medication that can evolve into addiction.

Accessibility to treatment

In 2010, a study found that women are far more likely than men to face multiple barriers when seeking treatment. From doctor's appointments and prescription medication to therapy - it's something not everyone can afford. Too often, self-medication poses a short-term escape for women struggling with mental health.

Shame and stigma

A deep-rooted sense of shame can compel women to be secretive about their substance use and become less likely to seek help. about substance abuse, impacting their recovery. While it differs for each person, A study found that women feel a more significant stigma patriarchal attitudes towards women and their household roles can exacerbate this shame and stigma. For example, a mother may not seek support if she fears being called a bad or careless mother.

Harming to Healing - What's the Answer?

There's no doubt that support and treatment are vital to those struggling with poor mental health and addiction. With more options now available to meet the growing demand, treatment is becoming more accessible. As the shame surrounding addiction reduces, more people feel comfortable reaching out for support, even if it's through a friend or family member.

Our facility provides state-of-the-art care to women struggling with addiction. Our experts use a detailed treatment plan that targets the needs of each individual. If you are a woman that has been abusing drugs or medication, you do not need to suffer any longer.

Call our Anchored Tides Recovery at 866-600-7709 today to schedule a consultation and start improving the quality of your life.

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The Impact of Oppression on Women's Mental Health - ATR

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It's been over 100 years since women in the United States of America won the right to vote, and physical abuse against women became illegal. However, oppression against women is still felt strongly today. From household conversations to government decisions, the impact on mental health runs deep.

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What are the psychological effects of gender inequality in society? 

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What are the psychological effects of gender inequality in society? 

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The novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez takes place in the Dominican Republic. The time period is from the 1930s to the 1960s. The dictatorship of Trujillo occurred during this time period. General Trujillo overthrew President Horacio Vazquez in 1930. The army of Trujillo massacred Haitians living in areas of the Dominican Republic. To bring awareness to the powerful reign of Trujillo, Mirabal sisters, more formally known as “Las Mariposas” or the butterflies, stood up to Trujillo's reign with an underground movement. They were soon stabbed in the 1960s, and their dead bodies were placed into a jeep and ran off the side of a cliff to make it look like an accident.

The attention of Alvarez was caught by these horrific events. In this novel, she fictionalized historical figures from real life events to prove the concept of feminism. She used this book to dramatize the heroic events of the Dominican population to try to overthrow the government of Trujillo. These events allowed Alvarez to look into the struggle of women to fight for their rights in the world today and allows people to better understand the historical legacy of the extraordinary women.

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1492 - Christopher Columbus visits the island, which he names Hispaniola, or "Little Spain".

1496 - Spaniards set up first Spanish colony in Western hemisphere at Santo Domingo, which subsequently serves as capital of all Spanish colonies in America.

1697 - Treaty of Ryswick gives western part of Hispaniola island (Haiti) to France and eastern part (Santo Domingo - the present Dominican Republic) to Spain.

1795 - Spain cedes its portion of Hispaniola island to France.

1808 - Spain retakes Santo Domingo following revolt by Spanish Creoles.

1821 - Uprising against Spanish rules is followed by brief period of independence.

1822 - Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer marches his troops into Santo Domingo and annexes it.
Republic is born
1844 - Boyer overthrown; Santo Domingo declares its independence and becomes the Dominican Republic.

1861-63 - President Pedro Santana returns the Dominican Republic to Spanish rule.

1863-64 - Spain withdraws from, and annuls its annexation of, the Dominican Republic following a popular revolt.

1865 - The second Dominican Republic proclaimed.

1906 - Dominican Republic and US sign 50-year treaty according to which the US takes over the republic's customs department in return for buying its debts.

1916-24 - US forces occupy the Dominican Republic following internal disorder.

1924 - Constitutional government assumes control; US forces withdraw.
Trujillo dictatorship
1930 - General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina establishes personal dictatorship following the overthrow of President Horacio Vazquez.

1937 - Army massacres 19,000-20,000 Haitians living in areas of the Dominican Republic adjacent to Haiti.

1960 - Organisation of American States adopts resolution calling for severance of diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic.

1961 - Trujillo assassinated.
US invades
1962 - Juan Bosch, founder of the leftist Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) elected president in the first democratic elections for nearly four decades.

1963 - Bosch deposed in military coup and replaced by a three-man civilian junta.

1965 - Some 30,000 US troops invade the Dominican Republic following a pro-Bosch uprising.
Return to democracy
1966 - Joaquin Balaguer, a Trujillo protege and former leader of the Reformist Party (later to become the centre-right Christian Social Reform Party (PRSC)), is elected president.

1978 - Silvestre Antonio Guzman (PRD) is elected president and proceeds to release some 200 political prisoners, ease media censorship and purge the armed forces of Balaguer supporters.

1979 - Two hurricanes leave more than 200,0000 people homeless and cause damage worth 1 billion dollars as the economy continues to deteriorate due to high fuel prices and low sugar prices.

1982 - Another PRD candidate, Jorge Blanco, elected president.
Austerity, unrest
1985 - IMF-prescribed austerity measures, including price rises for basic foods and petrol, lead to widespread riots.

Joaquin Balaguer's political career spanned seven decades

Sworn in as president in 1960 after Hector Trujillo resigns

Forced to resign in 1962 by a military coup

Elected president in 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1990 & 1994

Steps down in 1996 after massive public demonstrations

1986 - Balaguer (PRSC) re-elected president.

1988 - Jorge Blanco tried in absentia and found guilty of corruption during his presidential tenure.

1990 - Balaguer re-elected, defeating Bosch by a small majority.

1994 - Balaguer re-elected, but agrees to serve only a two-year term after being accused of fraud.

1996 - Leonel Fernandez Reyna of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) elected president.

1998 - Hurricane George causes widespread devastation.

2000 - PRD returned to power with Hipolito Mejia as president.

2001 May - Appeals court quashes a conviction against former president, Salvador Jorge Blanco, on charges of corruption.

2001 November - US jet bound for Santo Domingo crashes in New York killing all 255 people on board. Three days of national mourning declared.

2002 July - Former president Joaquin Balaguer dies aged 95; thousands pay their last respects to a man who dominated politics for more than 50 years.
Fernandez elected
2003 November - Deadly clashes between police and protesters during demonstrations against high prices, power cuts. Two months later, demonstrations about economic policies leave at least five dead.

2004 May - Former president Leonel Fernandez defeats incumbent Hipolito Mejia.

Severe floods in the south-west, and in parts of neighbouring Haiti, leave more than 2,000 dead or disappeared.

2005 September - Congress approves a proposed free trade agreement with the US and Central American nations. The DR enters the accord in March 2007.

2008 May - President Leonel Fernandez is re-elected.

2010 May - Congressional elections. Governing Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) retains firm grip on power.

2010 October - Dominican Republic tightens border restrictions to prevent cholera spreading from Haiti.

2012 May - Governing Dominican Liberation Party candidate Danilo Medina wins close presidential election over former president Hipolito Mejia.

2012 October - Hurricane Sandy causes extensive damage.

2013 September - Dominican Republic's highest court rules that the children of undocumented migrants are not eligible for Dominican nationality. Human rights groups warn that it could leave tens of thousands of people of Haitian descent stateless.

2014 May - The Dominican parliament approves a bill to grant citizenship to Dominican-born children of immigrants.

2016 May - President Danilo Medina is re-elected with a large majority.

2016 November - More than 20,000 people are displaced in flooding. The government declares a state of emergency.

2017 October - A report by the campaign group Transparency International lists the Dominican Republic as having the second highest bribery rate in Latin America and the Caribbean after Mexico.

2018 May - The Dominican Republic ends its long diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, establishing ties with China instead.

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1492 - Christopher Columbus visits the island, which he names Hispaniola, or "Little Spain". 1496 - Spaniards set up first Spanish colony in Western hemisphere at Santo Domingo, which subsequently serves as capital of all Spanish colonies in America.

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Julia Alvarez was born in New York City on March 17, 1950. She was the second of four children in her Dominican family. Three months after she was born, her parents fled to their native Dominican Republic after “self-imposed exile from General Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship”. Once adapting to Dominican culture once again, her parents became involved with an underground movement to overthrow Trujillo. The mirabal sisters who were brutally murdered, were three individuals who ran the underground government. They were soon forced to flee the Dominican Republic because they did not want to be forced into imprisonment.

At the age of ten, Alvarez returned to the United States. The United States was where she developed her passion for writing. When growing up in a new cultural environment, she had a difficult time adjusting to immigrant life and learning english. Alvarez was brutally faced with alienation and prejudice. Throughout her lifetime, she was able to keep close eyes on what was happening in the world around her. These immigrant experiences and her bicultural identity were main subjects to her writing. In her well known novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, she used first-person altering events to guide her writing. Alvarez wrote this novel to mark the importance of women fighting against their own wills.

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Julia Alvarez was born in New York City on March 17, 1950, the second of four daughters. Three months later, her parents returned to their native Dominican Republic after a self-imposed exile from General Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship. When her parents became involved in an underground movement to overthrow Trujillo, the Alvarez family was forced to flee the Dominican Republic in order to escape imprisonment. They returned to the United States in August of 1960, four months before the founders of the underground, the Mirabal sisters, were brutally murdered by the government. The Alvarez family settled in Queens, N.Y.

Alvarez was 10 years old when her family returned to the United States, and she had a difficult time adjusting to immigrant life and learning English. She was homesick and faced alienation and prejudice. "I consider this radical uprooting from my culture, my native language, my country, the reason I began writing," Alvarez has said. "Language is the only homeland, Czeslow Milosz once observed, and indeed, English, not the United States, was where I landed and sunk deep roots."

When asked why she wrote In the Time of the Butterflies, Alvarez said that "being a survivor placed a responsibility on me to tell the story of these brave young women who did not survive the dictatorship." In the Time of the Butterflies is a fictional account of the murders of the revolutionary Mirabal sisters. The book has alternating first-person narratives from the three martyred sisters and the fourth surviving sister, Dedé. Alvarez says she wrote the book as a testament to these remarkable women who "have served as models for women fighting against injustices of all kinds."

In the Time of the Butterflies was a finalist in 1995 for the National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction, selected a Notable Book by the American Library Association in 1994 and chosen as one of the Best Books for Young Adults by the Young Adult Library Services Association and the American Library Association in 1995.

The immigrant experience and bicultural identity is the subject of much of Alvarez's fiction and poetry. Her popular first novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, was published in 1991. Interrelated stories narrated by the four Garcia sisters describe their difficulties adjusting to New York City after leaving the Dominican Republic. Published in 1997, ¡Yo! focuses on Yolanda Garcia. In the Name of Salome, published in 2000, is based on the life of Dominican political poet Salome Urena and her daughter, Camila.

In 1984, Alvarez published Homecomings, a poetry collection about facing her 33rd birthday without a secure job or a family of her own. Her other poetry collections include The Other Side: El Otro Lado (1995) and The Woman I Kept to Myself (2004). A collection of autobiographical essays, Something to Declare, was published in 1998.

She has also written young adult books including The Secret Footprints (2000), How Tia Lola Came to Visit Stay (2001) and Before We Were Free (2002). A new young adult novel, Finding Miracles, was published in 2004.

Alvarez earned her undergraduate degree from Middlebury College in 1971 and a master's degree in creative writing from Syracuse University in 1975. She taught at various schools including Phillips Andover, the University of Vermont and the University of Illinois. She became a professor of English at Middlebury College in 1988 and has been its writer-in-residence since 1998.

In 1989, Alvarez married Bill Eichner, an eye surgeon whose humanitarian medical missions have taken him to many Third World nations. Alvarez and Eichner started an organic coffee farm modeling sustainable methods in the Dominican highlands. Profits from the 60-acre farm go to the Alta Gracia Foundation, which promotes literacy programs for the local population.

Sources

Bing, Jonathan. "Julie Alvarez: Books that Cross Borders." Publishers Weekly, v. 243, n. 51 (1996).

"Julia Alvarez." Contemporary Authors Online. Gale, 2001.

Julia Alvarez: Official Author Website.

Content last updated: October 31, 2004

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Julia Alvarez was born in New York City on March 17, 1950, the second of four daughters. Three months later, her parents returned to...