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    A period of change : menstruation in the media : a 60-credit Journalism project presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Journalism at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2020) Bhamidipati, Soumya
    This project examines the portrayal of menstruation in news and other media. It provides an in-depth examination of New Zealand media coverage of the ‘Positive Periods’ petition for government funding of menstrual products in schools and explores how news coverage of issues can lead to social change movements. Additionally, it examines the use of framing, news values, as well as the practical limitations of journalists who have covered menstruation stories in New Zealand media.
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    Women's attitudes toward menstruation : a quantitative survey and qualitative interview investigation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1990) Fitzgerald, Bridget, M.A.
    Menstruation plays an important role in the psychology of women. There is, however, little information about the nature of women's attitudes toward menstruation. The present study used a quantitative survey followed by a series of qualitative interviews to explore these attitudes in a sample of University women in New Zealand. The Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAO) was used to assess the attitudes and beliefs of 343 women. The psychometric properties of the MAO and its underlying factor structure were examined using a range of factor analytic models. Responses were then used to select a sample of 1O women for interview. Interviews were conducted in order to elaborate upon the attitudes identified by the MAO and to examine in more depth the nature of women's attitudes toward menstruation. Factor analysis of the MAO yielded five orthogonal factors. Results suggested that these university women perceived menstruation as: Marginally causing physical, emotional and intellectual changes, a natural event, an inconvenience and slightly disrupting their usual performance and activities. Subjects accepted the existence of premenstrual tension. Similarly, interviews revealed that attitudes were multidimensional with each subject having an individual configuration of positive, negative and neutral beliefs about menstruation. No consistent pattern among the different beliefs was established. Furthermore, it would appear that attitudes towards menstruation may not be acquired from direct experience but may be learned through social expectations. Directions for future research are indicated, particularly the importance of qualitative research.
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    The last taboo in sport : menstruation in female adventure racers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology (Health Endorsement) at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Dykzeul, Amanda Jane
    Recent media attention has been drawn to the ‘last taboo in sport’, menstruation in the competitive female athlete. This thesis delves into the domain of sport to understand why this taboo exists and how menstruation is constructed in the gendered sport of Adventure Racing. With its traditionally patriarchal structure, the presence of women on the sportsground has long been resisted. Adventure racing is interesting because it requires a minimum of one woman in each team, and thus provides a unique context within which to study menstruation. The sporting literature has typically framed menstruation within a biomedical perspective, where sporting behaviour results in menstrual dysfunction and therefore as a threat not only to the athlete’s wider health, also her traditional role as child-bearer. The ability to construct menstruation as a positive experience has been limited, especially as the voice of female athletes themselves has been notably missing from the literature. Seven female adventure racers participated in this study to elucidate their experiences within training and competitive environments. Semi-structured interviews were held with each participant, and their dialogue interpreted thematically as to how they construct and manage menses within this context. The major themes drawn from the women’s voice include the woman as the compulsory piece of kit, as subordinate and weak, and as the caregiver. Despite the women’s right to compete, this equal opportunity did not transfer to their positioning within the team. Their perceived inferiority worked to keep menstruation hidden and bodies silenced in attempts to emulate the idealised masculine sporting body. In general, menstruation was constructed as a tolerated annoyance; it was to be dealt with by the individual akin to any other illness or injury that one of their male teammates might need to manage. In this way the women were able to compartmentalise their menses as an entity that could be controlled. It was constructed as ‘something’ that happened to their body, and thereby distanced themselves from the bodily process. Menstruation remained absent from talk, concealed in dialogue and action, and absence of menses was welcomed, its presence preferred once off the sportsground. The taboo status of menstruation remains firmly embedded in this gendered sporting domain.