Tabu menstruacyjne: analiza typologiczna

Dominika Kliszczak

doi:10.18778/0208-600X.96.02

Authors

Dominika Kliszczak Warsaw University of Life Sciences https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6493-1376

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-600X.96.02

Keywords:

menstruation, cultural taboo, social discourse, gender, social construction of the body

Abstract

This article addresses the cultural taboo surrounding menstruation. It presents findings from a study aimed at identifying and describing the experiences of young women and men in relation to menstrual taboos. The research was conducted using the qualitative strategy based on in-depth interviews. The study made it possible to identify culturally- and socially-constructed beliefs about the experience of menstruation as well as the ways in which young women and men understand and define it. The analyses revealed the specific characteristics of menstrual experiences among young women and men. Separate typologies of the formation of menstrual taboos for women and for men were developed, each reflecting gender-specific differences in experience. The analyses conclude with a typology of experiencing menstrual taboos that highlights similarities in this regard between women and men. The collected research material indicates that experiences of menstrual taboos vary not only between genders but also within gender categories. It was also established that menstruation is tabooed to varying degrees in the experiences of both women and men, and that the strength and significance of this taboo are both embedded in gender-related narratives.

References

Bhagyavathi H.R., Naik S. (2024), Menstrual taboos and gender violence, „Studies in Indian Sociology”, vol. 1(2), s. 117–124.

Bieńko M. (2022), O seksie, cielesności i pożądaniu: prywatny i publiczny wymiar życia kobiety w wydaniu obscenicznym, Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa.

Bobel C. (2010), New Blood: Third Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick.

Bobel C., Winkler I.T., Fahs B., Hasson K.A., Kissling E.A., Roberts T.-A. (red.) (2020), The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Chrisler J.C. (2011), Leaks, lumps, and lines: Stigma and women,s bodies, „Psychology of Women Quarterly”, vol. 35(2), s. 202–214, https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684310397698

Douglas M. (1966), Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo, Routledge, London.

Goffman E. (1963), Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Jankowski H. (2021), Najważniejsze cechy polskiego dyskursu o menstruacji na podstawie wywiadów z kobietami w wieku 22–24 lat (część I), „Oblicza Komunikacji”, nr 13, s. 163–180, https://doi.org/10.19195/2083-5345.13.11

Johnston-Robledo I., Chrisler J.C. (2020), The menstrual mark: Menstruation as social stigma, [w:] C. Bobel, I.T. Winkler, B. Fahs, K.A. Hasson, E.A. Kissling, T.-A. Roberts (red.), The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, s. 181–199.

Kumar A., Dhadwal Y., Yadav V., Sharma B. (2024), A cross-sectional study of know-ledge, taboos, and attitudes towards menstruation, „Ethnicity & Health”, vol. 29(2), s. 208–219, https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2023.2293450

Mahon T., Tripathy A., Singh N. (2015), Putting the men into menstruation: The role of men and boys in community menstrual hygiene management, „Waterlines”, vol. 34(1), s. 7–14, https://doi.org/10.3362/1756-3488.2015.002

Mayring P. (2000), Qualitative content analysis, „Forum: Qualitative Social Research / Qualitative Sozialforschung”, vol. 1(2), s. 105–114.

Özdemir S., Şimşek A. (2022), The effect of perceptions and attitudes towards menstrual bleeding on women,s health, „Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Ve Araştırmaları Dergisi”, vol. 4(1), s. 76–81, https://doi.org/10.46413/boneyusbad.1028246

Rodriguez-White L. (2013), The function of ethnicity, income level, and menstrual taboos in postmenarcheal adolescents’ understanding of menarche and menstruation, „Sex Roles”, vol. 68(1–2), s. 65–76, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0166-y

Schreier M. (2012), Qualitative Content Analysis in Practice, Sage, London.