"Part and parcel of being a woman": Female urinary incontinence and constructions of control

This article draws on extensive interviews with middle-aged Australian wome n experiencing urinary incontinence. Our discussion derives from the diffic ulties women face in seeking advice on the management of incontinence, as a consequence of their perception that the condition is an inevitability, a "normal " part of being female. Women do not, on the whole, support a singl e cause for incontinence but, rather, explain its incidence in terms of per sonal history, which may include childbearing and parturition, menopause an d aging, and early socialization. In addition, women link their own contine nce problems with perceived personal failings (e.g., lack of exercise, bein g overweight) and, hence, see the condition as a symbol of their lack of mo ral worth. Following this, women's understandings of the relationship of in continence to their social membership extend far beyond the difficulties of disguising their physical problems.