Systemic Powers, Institutionalized Thinking and Situated Knowledge: A Qualitative Exploration on the Meanings of ‘Menstruation’ and ‘Menstrual Health’ in Spain
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Menstrual imagery and embodied menstrual experiences are greatly modulated by androcentric biomedical systems. Given that menstruating is not only a biological phenomenon but also a sociocultural and political action, women and people who menstruate (PWM) must actively participate in redefining how menstruation and menstrual health are understood and addressed. Taking a situated knowledge perspective, this study aims to investigate how women and PWM conceptualize menstruation and menstrual health in the Barcelona area (Spain), to offer a critical reflection on how social meanings of menstruation and menstrual health may be embodied and shape the menstrual experiences of women and PWM in our context. A qualitative study with 31 women and 3 PWM was conducted, using semi-structured photo-elicitation interviews and framework analysis. Menstruation was often perceived and experienced as a burden, as it was seen as intrinsically linked to identity and stereotyped femininity. Menstrual health was strongly framed within a biomedical and androcentric lens. At the same time, some participants took a critical stance, highlighting the importance of body literacy and self-care. Definitions of menstruation and menstrual health should take into account how women and PWM experience and embody menstruation, to promote menstrual education and health in a way that responds to the needs of women and PWM. Challenging institutionalized ideas about menstruation could also support community-based actions and transform menstrual policymaking into participatory processes.
期刊介绍：
Sex Roles: A Journal of Research is a global, multidisciplinary, scholarly, social and behavioral science journal with a feminist perspective. It publishes original research reports as well as original theoretical papers and conceptual review articles that explore how gender organizes people’s lives and their surrounding worlds, including gender identities, belief systems, representations, interactions, relations, organizations, institutions, and statuses. The range of topics covered is broad and dynamic, including but not limited to the study of gendered attitudes, stereotyping, and sexism; gendered contexts, culture, and power; the intersections of gender with race, class, sexual orientation, age, and other statuses and identities; body image; violence; gender (including masculinities) and feminist identities; human sexuality; communication studies; work and organizations; gendered development across the life span or life course; mental, physical, and reproductive health and health care; sports; interpersonal relationships and attraction; activism and social change; economic, political, and legal inequities; and methodological challenges and innovations in doing gender research.
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