Menstrual Taboos

Associated Documents (7)

Main AuthorPublished YearTitle
Kitahara, MichioFemale physiology and female puberty rites
Gray, J. PatrickMale security and art style in traditional societies
Stephens, William N.A cross cultural study of menstrual taboos
Kitahara, MichioMenstrual taboos and the importance of hunting
Carroll, Michael P.Totem and taboo, purity and danger…and fads and fashion in the study of pollution rules
Anderson, Judith L.Was the Duchess of Windsor right?: A cross-cultural review of the socioecology of ideals of fema...
Textor, Robert B. A Cross-Cultural Summary: Female Initiation Rites

Associated Hypotheses (13)

Main AuthorHypothesis
Kitahara, MichioAmong cultures without puberty rites in East Eurasia, North America and South America, there is a positive relationship between extent of menstrual taboos and presence of community-wide exclusive male groups.
Kitahara, MichioAmong groups without puberty rites in Africa, Circim-Mediterranean, and Insular Pacific, there is a negative association between extent of menstrual taboos and presence of community-wide exclusive male groups.
Gray, J. PatrickMenstrual taboos are associated with straight line dominant art (38)
Stephens, William N."Extensiveness of menstrual taboos observed in a primitive society is determined to a significant extent by the average intensity of castration anxiety [measured by a composite predictor based on child rearing practices]" (69, 89)
Stephens, William N."Extensiveness of menstrual taboo observed in a primitive society is determined to a significant extent by the average intensity of castration anxiety felt by men [as measured by child rearing practices]"
Stephens, William N."The extensiveness of menstrual taboos observed in a primitive society is determined to a significant extent by the average intensity of castration anxiety felt by men [measured by frequency of all kinds of physical injury in folktales]" (69, 89)
Stephens, William N."the extensiveness of menstrual taboos observed in a primitive society is determined to a significant extent by the average intensity of castration anxiety felt by men [as measured by frequency of genital injury and severing in folktales]" (69,89)
Kitahara, MichioDependence on hunting as a source of food supply will be associated with menstrual taboos (902).
Carroll, Michael P.Menstrual taboos will be associated with the presence of a post-partum sex taboo and little father-son contact in early childhood (281).
Carroll, Michael P.The length of the post-partum sex taboo will be related to the severity of the menstrual taboos (282).
Carroll, Michael P."Societies characterized by community endogamy [will] be more likely than other societies to be characterized also by relatively severe menstrual taboos" (283).
Anderson, Judith L.Cultures will have a plump standard of beauty when women's work is not valued highly, or when women are restricted in the times and situations in which they can work (207).
Textor, Robert B. Societies where the strength of menstrual taboos is high will tend to have female initiation rites (382, 396).

Associated OCMs

  1. avoidance and taboo
  2. menstruation