Citation

Ruble DN, Boggiano AK, Brooks-Gunn J. Sex Roles 1982; 8(6): 625-638.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1982, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00289896

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Based on an attributional analysis of menstrual "distress," the present study examined how a woman is evaluated when she attributes an instance of negative social behavior to the approach or onset of menstruation. College men and women were asked to imagine an interaction in which a woman behaves very irritably and then gives one of several excuses for her negative behavior, two of which were menstrual related. Subjects evaluated each excuse in terms of (1) degree of annoyance, (2) blameworthiness, and (3) internality versus externality. The results showed consistent relationships between these evaluations and both sex of subject and general attitudes about menstruation. Males tended to see menstrual-related excuses as less blameworthy and more external than did females. In addition, general attitudes regarding the debilitating effects of menstruation predicted greater tolerance toward the use of menstrual excuses. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the socialization and continuing reinforcement of menstrual "distress."