Rethinking difference: a feminist reframing of gender/race/class for the improvement of women's health research.

In exploring the history of the social construction of gender/race/class in Western scientific discourse and examining the legacy of these persisting constructions in modern research on women's health, the authors join in a growing debate about sexism/racism/classism in women's health research--a debate being forwarded most forcefully by feminist epidemiologists. A major purpose of this article is to aid in the development of a new research paradigm for examining the relationship between gender, race, and class, one that considers the interdisciplinary theorizing of Third World feminists and European/American feminists of color. Following the examination of both historical and epistemological issues surrounding interlocking forms of oppression based on gender/race/class, the authors propose a feminist research agenda that not only is responsive to different women's health needs, but can potentially contribute to a process for understanding and answering the health needs of all persons.