Anthropology and the menopause: the development of a theoretical framework

A theoretical framework has been presented in which the menopause was treated as an event for which the definition and meaning must vary from one socio-cultural context to another. Depending on whether the stereotype of the menopause and the peri-menopausal woman in a society is positive or negative, it will offer either a benefit or a threat to the self-esteem of women as they enter the peri-menopause. Women whose self-esteem is already high will not be as susceptible to a negative stereotype as women whose self-esteem is low. Among the latter, the further fall in their self-image will be the key aetiological factor accounting for psychological distress among women in the peri-menopause.