Brooke Greenberg, Gianna Perri, Francesca Jones, Kate Richmond, Mindy Erchull
Muhlenberg College – University of Mary Washington
This exploratory study aimed to investigate the roles in which people’s knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about women’s reproductive health including menstruation, relation to other attitudes about women’s reproductive health, beliefs and behaviors. In relation to a political rhetoric, ideals have been shifting over the past few years showing an increased focus on women during their pregnancy instead of the fetus. While this rhetoric appears to be “pro-women”, this is closely linked to benevolent sexism as it can be seen as simply protecting the woman. This is potentially rooted in level of education of reproductive knowledge, hostile and benevolent sexism and menstrual secrecy. Results of this study showed that hostile sexism (the idea that women should be kept in line) negatively predicts government funding for women’s reproductive healthcare as well as insurance funding for women’s reproductive healthcare. Future studies would further explore both men and women’s knowledge about reproduction and different parts of the reproductive system as well as exploring different attitudes towards the menstrual cycle in relation to both hostile and benevolent sexism.
This topic is so important! I know from my own experience in a public school, the supreme lack of attention to the topic of menstruation. Overall women’s reproductive rights were often glossed over, with just the talk of birth control, but a deeper discussion about female menstruation did not happen in my middle school or high school health or sex-ed class. I would be curious to see if this lack of funding may stem from lack of early exposure to these topics?