Doctoral Dissertation: Menopause: Meaning and Experience in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will examine the different cultural meanings and experiences of menopause for women of different socioeconomic classes in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico. It will be contextualized within Mexican constructs of gender and aging, and how these vary by social class (urban poor, working class, and middle elite). The research will utilize survey data on 500 families from a previous NIMH study for constructing her class samples. Methods include participant observation, archival research, structured and unstructured interviewing, focus groups, and clinical encounter observations. The project will contribute to theory on how culture (social class) variably shapes biomedical conditions and manifestations.