title: Anthropology and the menopause: the development of a theoretical framework.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D000883:Anthropology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004651:Employment; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological