The third shift: Health, work and expertise among women with endometriosis

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of twenty Australian women living with the chronic and incurable gynaecological condition endometriosis. It examines how women become experts in their own care and the ramifications of these processes for women. Women experience patient expertise as a form of work, described here as a ‘third shift’ performed in addition to women’s paid and unpaid work. It argues that both benefits and problems flow from such work, which involves the acquisition of expertise about a chronic illness and associated processes of self-management. The central argument of this paper is that the responsibilities associated with becoming an expert endometriosis patient can both reduce and compound existing stresses for women living with this chronic illness. It concludes with some suggestions about improvements to support women living with this chronic condition.

Key Words:

• Expert patients
• health work
• endometriosis
• sociology