Multicultural Perspectives on Menopause and the Climacteric

Abstract

Different cultures have different attitudes toward menopause and the symptoms of menopause. This article discusses research on these attitudes and suggests that the way menopause is conceptualized is primarily a function of societal attitudes toward the roles and status of women, especially mature women. It also presents recommendations for social work research and practice with women in midlife.Menopause-the cessation of menses, or the final menstrual period-is a single event lasting less than a week, whereas the climacteric spans a 30-year continuum between the ages of 35 and 65.... The decade of perimenopause at the center of the climacteric includes all the phases of menopause: premenopause, menopause and postmenopause. (Notelovitz, 1993, p. 26) The most creative force in the world is the woman with postmenopausal zest. (attributed to Margaret Mead, quoted in Lock, 1993, p. xiv) Women's experiences with the climacteric period vary tremendously from culture to culture. The symptoms women typically experience during this period range from virtually none to severe. Japanese women's symptoms have been described as minimal (Lock, 1993) and those of Mayan women in Mexico as

Women's Midlife Confusion: "Why Am I Feeling This Way?"

“…Rituals in such cultures that mark this life transition not only establish public status in which a woman's wisdom and knowledge are in themselves esteemed but also provide a vehicle to guide her through the transition, pointing her towards ways in which she may best ful ll her new responsibilities . In our society, however, such status and rituals do not seem to exist (Chornesky, 1998;Engebretson & Wardell, 1997), despite the fact that midlife women in our society have also lived long enough to attain wisdom and a corresponding ability to contribute to the well-being of the culture.…”

“…In certain Native North American cultures (e.g., Navajo and Lakota Sioux), for example, women who attain elderhood are highly esteemed and take on new and important social roles (Chornesky, 1998). Rituals in such cultures that mark this life transition not only establish public status in which a woman's wisdom and knowledge are in themselves esteemed but also provide a vehicle to guide her through the transition, pointing her towards ways in which she may best ful ll her new responsibilities .…”

“…Medically and socially, middle aged women are seen as having declining bodies and for that reason, may feel devalued within those contexts (Chornesky, 1998;Jones, 1994;Kaufert, 1994;Ussher, 1989). In the midst of societal attitudes in which menopause and the sexuality of midlife women may be viewed in negative terms, some of the participants experienced uncertainty and confusion about what to expect once physical and psychologica l changes associated with menopause became noticeable.…”

Sex, Menopause, and Culture

“…Indeed, research on women's menopausal experiences suggests that attitudes and experiences of so-called symptoms, such as hot flashes, vary across cultures (Chornesky 1998;Lock 1993;Martin 1987). For example, Lakota women view menopause positively and rarely report "symptoms," perhaps because they gain power after menopause (Chornesky 1998). In contrast, premenopausal women in the United States may view menopause negatively and think that depression increases (Avis and McKinlay 1991) because aging women are devalued in the United States (Lorber 1997).…”

(Re)pensar o climatério feminino

“…Em suma, as atitudes das mulheres relativamente ao climatério indicam, que estas são fortemente influenciadas pelas dimensões sócio-culturais e económicas, implicando que em diferentes culturas existam diferentes atitudes e diversos sintomas relacionados com esta etapa desenvolvimental (Adekunle, 2000;Chornesky, 1998).…”