The History of the Word "Vagina" Illuminates Our Problem With Sexist Medicine

Western medicine has been painfully slow to understand and appreciate the female reproductive system. Too often, even today, researchers and clinicians perceive the male body as the norm–just like the ancient Greeks did.

Our very language betrays the sexist bias of reproductive medicine and anatomy. From at least as far back as the 17th century, scientists used terms for female genitalia that translate as "shameful parts." The word "vagina" itself, first recorded in 1680, comes from the Latin word for "sheath." The term's origins reflect a view of the vagina as merely a holder for the penis.

Our Bodies Ourselves, and the broader women’s liberation and women’s health movements, dramatically increased knowledge about women’s bodies as well as access to birth control and abortion in the 1970s. But we now find ourselves in a time of backlash. Many women still lack basic knowledge of sexual health. Researchers and physicians are still given inaccurate, sexist training about women’s bodies. And open discussion of sexuality is increasingly censored, including online. As a result, issues common to women–from vaginal pain to menopause–are not taken seriously enough, and often go undiagnosed and untreated.

We need full, accurate health education as well as an equitable healthcare system that values women’s bodies. Scientific research on sexual health must be funded adequately. And when we talk about women’s health, we must take the importance of pleasure and quality of life into account.

The more we can get clear on language and normalize that 50% of the population has this anatomy and that lots of things can change and go wrong with their medical parts, just like the heart and the lungs, then people can understand that they don’t have to put up with being ignored or minimized when they have complaints or issues. They can actually advocate for themselves.

• AUTHOR: Elizabeth Hlavinka • LAST UPDATED: September 17, 2023