Feminine Refigurations

Abstract

Current research on women and gender recog- nizes that gender must be studied in the interplay between individual-society, and is largely dominated by a social constructionist emphasis on discourse and gender performance.

This article suggests an alternative approach to gender and gender-related issues such as mental health with a theoretical basis in critical psychology. The main purpose is to suggest a theoretical framework for women’s conduct of femininity that is rooted in a sociological concept of figurations and the critical psycho- logical notion of the conduct of everyday life. I suggest that a theoretical concept of ‘feminine figurations’ may enrich research on issues concerning women’s subjective well-being – an approach that is unusual in the field of mental health research, so far.