Menopause and Culture

‘An extremely significant contribution to the field of medical sociology ... Menopause is an area which has been somewhat neglected in social science discourse.’ Dr Megan Jennaway, University of Queensland

‘Original ... well argued ... at the cutting edge of the field of sociology and health.’ Dr Mina Roces, University of New South Wales

In Menopause and Culture, Gabriella Berger questions the view of menopause as an estrogen-deficiency disease by examining how other vital influences, such as culture, mediate the menopause transition. Her positive and refreshing approach culminates in a cross-cultural examination of Australian and Filipino women's menopause experiences and concludes in an elegant demonstration of how intricate sociocultural belief systems impact on menopause. Set against a broad review of current and often contradictory literature in the fields of biomedicine, psychiatry, psychology, anthropology and sociology, her findings serve to demystify long-held stereotypical and misogynist views of women as diseased and useless. Menopause is unequivocally more about wellness than illness: this is a book at the cutting edge of medical sociology.