Am I Still a Woman?: Hysterectomy and Gender Identity

by Jean Elson

Scientific findings regarding the potential dangers associated with hormone replacement therapies bring renewed attention to the relationship between women's bodies and gender identity. This book offers the testimony of women who have thought deeply about this issue as a result of gynecological surgery.

Genres: Nonfiction

254 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

Jean Elson (Jeany), author of Gross Misbehavior and Wickedness: A Notorious Divorce in Early Twentieth-Century America, is Senior Lecturer Emerita in the Department of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire. During her tenure at the University of New Hampshire Dr. Elson received teaching awards, including the “Vagina Warrior Award” from the V-Day Committee and the “Pink Triangle Award” from the LGBTQ Community. She taught classes and lectured on the topics of gender, family, women’s health and illness, and sexual behavior. Jean was also an appointed member of the UNH President’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Jean holds a PhD in sociology and a Master’s in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Brandeis University, where she received academic awards and fellowships, including the Graduate Grant Prize for Research in Women’s Studies and the Elizabeth Stanton Michaels Fellowship from the National American Association of University Women.

Jean Elson’s previous book, Am I Still a Woman? Hysterectomy and Gender Identity, received enthusiastic reviews from both the popular and academic press. She is also author of a chapter in Our Bodies Ourselves: Menopause. Jean has written articles and been interviewed for a variety of newspapers and magazines and has appeared on several radio and television programs.

Jeany is married to Tom Arrington and they split their time between New Hampshire and California. They have traveled extensively in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Jeany has two children: Dave Poznik, married to Emily Tsang, and Jessica Elson Garnett, married to Dustin Garnett. Her grandson, Maxwell Matthew Garnett, was born in November 2017.