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Papers by Georgiann Davis

The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality, 2015

This study assesses whether racialized patterns of medical specialization persist among a recent ... more This study assesses whether racialized patterns of medical specialization persist among a recent cohort of U.S. medical students. Data from the Association of American Medical College's 2004 Graduation Questionnaire (GQ), an annual survey of all graduating U.S. medical students, are employed to explore how factors internal and external to medical education influence specialization patterns among black and white medical school graduates. The data suggest that a degree of racial division in medical specialization endures, but that division does not neatly map onto specialty prestige and is deeply gendered. Black graduates are more likely to enter high-prestige surgical residency programs than their white colleagues, but this finding holds only for male medical school graduates. That the surgery effect emerges only with the inclusion of social factors inside and outside medicine suggests these have distinct impact across race. We conclude by suggesting directions for future studies of stratification in medicine.

Theories, Institutions, and Experiences, 2011

, the of cial journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a consensus statement on th... more , the of cial journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a consensus statement on the medical management of intersex traits. Like the profession's rst statement, the revision advised against unnecessary surgical modi cations. Yet, such surgeries continue in contemporary US society, despite the professional stance and public critiques from intersex activists. Relying on sixty-ve interviews with medical professionals, individuals with intersex traits, and parents of intersex children, this article examines why the practice continues. It then analyzes how medical professionals justify their medical interventions and shows that these justi cations convey a "covert necessity" to the parents of intersex children. Intersex bodies, situated on the threshold of the gender structure, are treated as "states of exception" where unnecessary medical interventions serve to uphold the sex binary. The article argues that medical interventions aimed at eliminating intersex traits will continue until society disentangles sex from gender, embraces gender uidity, and no longer constructs intersex bodies as deviant or abnormal in order to disallow or erase them.

The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, Jan 14, 2015

Abstract Not Available.

Social Thought and Research, 2013

Journal of Gender Studies, 2013

The American Journal of Bioethics, 2012

In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAA... more In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) abandoned sex
testing, they devised new policies in response to the IAAF’s treatment of Caster Semenya, the South African runner whose sex was challenged because of her spectacular
win and powerful physique that fueled an international frenzy questioning her sex and legitimacy to compete as female. These policies claim that atypically high levels
of endogenous testosterone in women (caused by various medical conditions) create an unfair advantage and must be regulated. Against the backdrop of Semenya’s
case and the scientific and historical complexity of “gender verification” in elite sports, we question the new policies on three grounds: (1) the underlying scientific
assumptions; (2) the policymaking process; and (3) the potential to achieve fairness for female athletes.We find the policies in each of these domains significantly flawed
and therefore argue they should be withdrawn.

The American journal of bioethics : AJOB, 2013

Advances in Medical Sociology, 2011

Ootttrxl, Corrkrsl;rtion, l(l()nlily, il (lS(x:i;tl ()r) ltol I.irrr:rrrkrr;y ()l I , I . I r I I... more Ootttrxl, Corrkrsl;rtion, l(l()nlily, il (lS(x:i;tl ()r) ltol I.irrr:rrrkrr;y ()l I , I . I r I I I r , : . I . . I I I I I . , l)r( )vr( lol; l)ollr il stilrlilr!l poitrl l0r t lisr:r[;l;ir )n iUr(I ttroiuri wr r wlr( rlr rrr.rrl. [[.,,, llrr J nitri(:(ntl oo (x)l)lllitl litr ttlsr;i t11().

Current Sociology, 2013

This article has two goals, an intellectual history of gender as a concept and to outline a frame... more This article has two goals, an intellectual history of gender as a concept and to outline a framework for moving forward theory and research on gender conceptualized as a structure of social stratification. The authors' first goal is to trace the conceptual development of the study of sex and gender throughout the 20th century to now. They do this from a feminist sociological standpoint, framing the question with particular concern for power and inequality. The authors use a modernist perspective, showing how theory and research built in a cumulative fashion, with empirical studies sometimes supporting and sometimes challenging current theories, often leads to new ones. The authors then offer their theoretical contribution, framing gender as a social structure as a means to integrate the wide variety of empirical research findings on causal explanations for and consequences of gender. This framework includes attention to: the differences and similarities between women and men as individuals, the stability of and changing expectations we hold for each sex during social interaction, and the mechanisms by which gender is embedded into the logic of social institutions and organizations. At each level of analysis, there is a focus on the organization of social life and the cultural logics that accompany such patterns.

The American Journal …, 2012

In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAA... more In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) abandoned sex testing, they devised new policies in response to the IAAF's treatment of Caster Semenya, the South African runner whose sex was challenged because of her spectacular win and powerful physique that fueled an international frenzy questioning her sex and legitimacy to compete as female. These policies claim that atypically high levels of endogenous testosterone in women (caused by various medical conditions) create an unfair advantage and must be regulated. Against the backdrop of Semenya's case and the scientific and historical complexity of "gender verification" in elite sports, we question the new policies on three grounds: (1) the underlying scientific assumptions; (2) the policymaking process; and (3) the potential to achieve fairness for female athletes. We find the policies in each of these domains significantly flawed and therefore argue they should be withdrawn.

The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality, 2015

This study assesses whether racialized patterns of medical specialization persist among a recent ... more This study assesses whether racialized patterns of medical specialization persist among a recent cohort of U.S. medical students. Data from the Association of American Medical College's 2004 Graduation Questionnaire (GQ), an annual survey of all graduating U.S. medical students, are employed to explore how factors internal and external to medical education influence specialization patterns among black and white medical school graduates. The data suggest that a degree of racial division in medical specialization endures, but that division does not neatly map onto specialty prestige and is deeply gendered. Black graduates are more likely to enter high-prestige surgical residency programs than their white colleagues, but this finding holds only for male medical school graduates. That the surgery effect emerges only with the inclusion of social factors inside and outside medicine suggests these have distinct impact across race. We conclude by suggesting directions for future studies of stratification in medicine.

Theories, Institutions, and Experiences, 2011

, the of cial journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a consensus statement on th... more , the of cial journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a consensus statement on the medical management of intersex traits. Like the profession's rst statement, the revision advised against unnecessary surgical modi cations. Yet, such surgeries continue in contemporary US society, despite the professional stance and public critiques from intersex activists. Relying on sixty-ve interviews with medical professionals, individuals with intersex traits, and parents of intersex children, this article examines why the practice continues. It then analyzes how medical professionals justify their medical interventions and shows that these justi cations convey a "covert necessity" to the parents of intersex children. Intersex bodies, situated on the threshold of the gender structure, are treated as "states of exception" where unnecessary medical interventions serve to uphold the sex binary. The article argues that medical interventions aimed at eliminating intersex traits will continue until society disentangles sex from gender, embraces gender uidity, and no longer constructs intersex bodies as deviant or abnormal in order to disallow or erase them.

The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, Jan 14, 2015

Abstract Not Available.

Social Thought and Research, 2013

Journal of Gender Studies, 2013

The American Journal of Bioethics, 2012

In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAA... more In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) abandoned sex
testing, they devised new policies in response to the IAAF’s treatment of Caster Semenya, the South African runner whose sex was challenged because of her spectacular
win and powerful physique that fueled an international frenzy questioning her sex and legitimacy to compete as female. These policies claim that atypically high levels
of endogenous testosterone in women (caused by various medical conditions) create an unfair advantage and must be regulated. Against the backdrop of Semenya’s
case and the scientific and historical complexity of “gender verification” in elite sports, we question the new policies on three grounds: (1) the underlying scientific
assumptions; (2) the policymaking process; and (3) the potential to achieve fairness for female athletes.We find the policies in each of these domains significantly flawed
and therefore argue they should be withdrawn.

The American journal of bioethics : AJOB, 2013

Advances in Medical Sociology, 2011

Ootttrxl, Corrkrsl;rtion, l(l()nlily, il (lS(x:i;tl ()r) ltol I.irrr:rrrkrr;y ()l I , I . I r I I... more Ootttrxl, Corrkrsl;rtion, l(l()nlily, il (lS(x:i;tl ()r) ltol I.irrr:rrrkrr;y ()l I , I . I r I I I r , : . I . . I I I I I . , l)r( )vr( lol; l)ollr il stilrlilr!l poitrl l0r t lisr:r[;l;ir )n iUr(I ttroiuri wr r wlr( rlr rrr.rrl. [[.,,, llrr J nitri(:(ntl oo (x)l)lllitl litr ttlsr;i t11().

Current Sociology, 2013

This article has two goals, an intellectual history of gender as a concept and to outline a frame... more This article has two goals, an intellectual history of gender as a concept and to outline a framework for moving forward theory and research on gender conceptualized as a structure of social stratification. The authors' first goal is to trace the conceptual development of the study of sex and gender throughout the 20th century to now. They do this from a feminist sociological standpoint, framing the question with particular concern for power and inequality. The authors use a modernist perspective, showing how theory and research built in a cumulative fashion, with empirical studies sometimes supporting and sometimes challenging current theories, often leads to new ones. The authors then offer their theoretical contribution, framing gender as a social structure as a means to integrate the wide variety of empirical research findings on causal explanations for and consequences of gender. This framework includes attention to: the differences and similarities between women and men as individuals, the stability of and changing expectations we hold for each sex during social interaction, and the mechanisms by which gender is embedded into the logic of social institutions and organizations. At each level of analysis, there is a focus on the organization of social life and the cultural logics that accompany such patterns.

The American Journal …, 2012

In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAA... more In May 2011, more than a decade after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) abandoned sex testing, they devised new policies in response to the IAAF's treatment of Caster Semenya, the South African runner whose sex was challenged because of her spectacular win and powerful physique that fueled an international frenzy questioning her sex and legitimacy to compete as female. These policies claim that atypically high levels of endogenous testosterone in women (caused by various medical conditions) create an unfair advantage and must be regulated. Against the backdrop of Semenya's case and the scientific and historical complexity of "gender verification" in elite sports, we question the new policies on three grounds: (1) the underlying scientific assumptions; (2) the policymaking process; and (3) the potential to achieve fairness for female athletes. We find the policies in each of these domains significantly flawed and therefore argue they should be withdrawn.