Changing attitudes toward menstrual taboos from Primitive Societies to the Age of Media (A Systematic Review)

Menstruation is a biological process and it is regarded as a milestone in women’s life. But these cultural and social processes are so intertwined that made a wide range of rules and restrictions(as taboo) about menstruation and women’s function. Taboos restricts women’s behaviors and have a negative effect on their physical and mental health. In this case the aim of this study is to considering the role of media in persistence and lessening menstrual taboos.

It was a systematic review study. Related keywords have been searched in PubMed, Springer, ScienceDirect, SID, Noormags and Civilica data and related articles which have been published between 1950 to 2021 were extracted.

The frequent ideaology about menstruation in societies is silence and denial, a view that most media reproduce and strengthening it in different ways. But giving various information about menstruation without bias in different ways may lead to normalization and lessening menstruation taboos.

the normalization process of menstruation needs time but with interfering in media’s framework as a change, we may lead the society to the normalizing it. Media as a great and available source of information, can be used as a powerful tool in educating and breaking menstruation taboo.