Men and menstruation: views and perspectives influencing participation in adventurous activities

Prince, Heather ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6199-4892 and Annison, Erin (2023) Men and menstruation: views and perspectives influencing participation in adventurous activities. Sport, Education and Society . Item availability may be restricted.

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Abstract

Menstruation impacts participation in adventurous activities but there are gaps in reported research on the views and perspectives of men. This study examines the ways in which people who menstruate (inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community) perceive and report attitudes to menstruation and the menstrual cycle by men, and the ways in which cis-males themselves articulate their knowledge and actions. This research takes a biological, social and cultural approach explored through a survey of those who menstruate (n=800) and interviews with cis-males in adventurous activity leadership roles (n=6). Rich qualitative data on the lived experiences of all respondents indicate embarrassment as a major emotion by menstruating individuals and in respect of the limited knowledge felt by cis-males. More experienced cis-male leaders were confident in their strategies and engaged openly in discussions about menstruation management with participants, but all felt that they could learn more. The key recommendations from this research are: The provision of suitable toilet and waste disposal facilities where possible with free period products; more education and training around menstruation and its management in the outdoors for men and women with shared discussions of good practice; and the encouragement of open dialogue with participants around menstruation management to promote an inclusive and accessible participatory environment.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Sport, Education and Society
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1470-1243
Departments:	Institute of Science and Environment > Outdoor Studies
Additional Information:	This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided theoriginal work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Depositing User:	Heather Prince
Date Deposited:	10 Oct 2023 11:35
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2024 15:32
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/7341