Understanding women's sleep management: beyond medicalization‐healthicization: A response to Simon Williams

Hislop & Arber reply to Simon J. Williams's rejoinder (2004) to their "Understanding Women's Sleep: Beyond Medicalization-Healthicization?" (2003) in which they explore Williams's argument in "Sleep and Health: Sociological Reflections on the Dormant Society" (2002) is that sleep could be the next step in medicalization-healthicization (2002). Williams points out the importance of the sociology of sleep through a careful integration, reworking, & extension of other researchers (Aubert & White 1959; Schwartz 1970; Taylor 1993) & places it within current debate concerning healthicization-medicalization & embodiment. Williams has not, however, provided an empirical framework for his research. The authors have presented the first sociological empirical study of British women's sleep in the context of everyday life & how it reflects issues of gender, aging, health & illness, & life transitions. Their emphasis is not on criticism of Williams's contentions, but on investigating aspects of this debate from the viewpoint of the lay population. 11 References. L. A. Hoffman