A loucura como subterfúgio social para o silenciamento e cerceamento de direitos da mulher

Abstract

The present study had as object of study the social construction of madness and its implications in the relations of gender. The main objectives are: to analyze the conceptions of insanity and its interfaces with the social representation of women; discussing the relationships between female madness, silencing and curtailing women's rights; to identify in scientific publications previously selected in Google Scholar and Scientific Eletronic Library Online - SCIELO, the discussions about madness as a social construct for the maintenance of gender inequalities. Regarding the methodology, the strategy of the bibliographic review of scientific references published in the period from 2007 to 2017 and available in the referred sites was adopted. The theoretical contribution is made up of studies by Beauvoir (1970);Scott (1989); Saffioti (2001); Rago (2004); Louro (2007) and Sardenberg (2011) for the understanding of gender relations. In addition to authors such as Badinter (1986); Goffman (1988, 2001); Jagoe (1998); Foucault (2006; 2008); Costa Júnior and Medeiros (2007) to support the understanding of conceptions of stigma and mental illness. The results of the research prove that female madness is also conceived as a social construction used, in most cases, as a subterfuge to silence and curtail the rights of women. The data also indicate the importance of producing new speeches and new writings on this subject, that is, giving time and voice to the actresses of this story.