TY - JOUR
T1 - Learning About Menstruation
AU - Mendlinger, Sheryl
AU - Cwikel, Julie
N1 - Accession Number: 25051527; Mendlinger, Sheryl 1; Cwikel, Julie 1; Affiliations: 1 : Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel; Source Info: Dec2005, Vol. 5 Issue 3, p53; Thesaurus Term: MENSTRUATION; Thesaurus Term: EXTENDED families; Thesaurus Term: PUBERTY; Thesaurus Term: SOCIAL interaction; Thesaurus Term: QUALITATIVE research; Subject Term: PRIMARY care; Author-Supplied Keyword: Immigrants; Author-Supplied Keyword: Israel; Author-Supplied Keyword: Mother-Daughter Knowledge Transmission; Author-Supplied Keyword: Qualitative Research; Author-Supplied Keyword: Women's Health; Number of Pages: 10p; Document Type: Article
PY - 2005/12
Y1 - 2005/12
N2 - Traditionally, the older females in an extended family instructed young women about the various aspects of the life cycle including puberty, menstruation, sex, reproduction, and child care. The Israeli immigration process has changed social relationships and family structures which in turn shape the intergenerational transfer of knowledge. As a result over the past few decades other sources of knowledge have become important sources of knowledge for young women. These include her peers, school, scientific research information, doctors, and commercial materials. This paper focuses on the types of knowledge that a mother passes on to her daughter in relation to puberty, preparedness for menstruation and the onset of her first menses. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of qualitative, ethnographic research collected from 48 in-depth interviews with 4 mother and daughter pairs from each of the following groups: native born Israelis and veteran and recent immigrants from Europe, North Africa the CIS (Commonwealth Independent States), Ethiopia, and USA origin, who settled in the Negev area of Israel. The unique contribution of this study lies in its examination of the onset of menstruation (menarche) among women from diverse cultures who immigrated to the same country, i.e. Israel. Menarche is a special milestone in the life of adolescent girls and it appears that the type of knowledge acquisition related to this event may influence her attitudes and behaviors toward other critical health issues in the future. The analysis produced several categories of knowledge including: traditional knowledge, technical knowledge, embodied knowledge and authoritative knowledge. It appears that the types of knowledge that are passed on from mother to daughter are changed through the immigration process, often from traditional to more technical. We found that for many daughters the knowledge that they obtain from their mothers is very important for the daughters' overall well being and good health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
AB - Traditionally, the older females in an extended family instructed young women about the various aspects of the life cycle including puberty, menstruation, sex, reproduction, and child care. The Israeli immigration process has changed social relationships and family structures which in turn shape the intergenerational transfer of knowledge. As a result over the past few decades other sources of knowledge have become important sources of knowledge for young women. These include her peers, school, scientific research information, doctors, and commercial materials. This paper focuses on the types of knowledge that a mother passes on to her daughter in relation to puberty, preparedness for menstruation and the onset of her first menses. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of qualitative, ethnographic research collected from 48 in-depth interviews with 4 mother and daughter pairs from each of the following groups: native born Israelis and veteran and recent immigrants from Europe, North Africa the CIS (Commonwealth Independent States), Ethiopia, and USA origin, who settled in the Negev area of Israel. The unique contribution of this study lies in its examination of the onset of menstruation (menarche) among women from diverse cultures who immigrated to the same country, i.e. Israel. Menarche is a special milestone in the life of adolescent girls and it appears that the type of knowledge acquisition related to this event may influence her attitudes and behaviors toward other critical health issues in the future. The analysis produced several categories of knowledge including: traditional knowledge, technical knowledge, embodied knowledge and authoritative knowledge. It appears that the types of knowledge that are passed on from mother to daughter are changed through the immigration process, often from traditional to more technical. We found that for many daughters the knowledge that they obtain from their mothers is very important for the daughters' overall well being and good health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
KW - MENSTRUATION
KW - EXTENDED families
KW - PUBERTY
KW - SOCIAL interaction
KW - QUALITATIVE research
KW - PRIMARY care
KW - Immigrants
KW - Israel
KW - Mother-Daughter Knowledge Transmission
KW - Qualitative Research
KW - Women's Health
M3 - Article
SN - 1447-9532
VL - 5
SP - 53
EP - 62
JO - International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations
JF - International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations
IS - 3
ER -