"You don't want to mansplain their period": An Exploration of Men's Menstrual Attitudes and Experiences in the UK

This thesis explores men’s menstrual attitudes and their experiences as non-menstruators in the UK. Although there has been a recent surge of interest in research on menstruation globally and acknowledgement of the significance of men and boys, few studies have been interested in understanding their lived experiences. I draw on in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 24 cis male and non-binary non-menstruators and informal interviews with 11 cis female, trans male, and non-binary menstruators. I explore how men view menstruation, when and where men and boys learn about menstruation, and how men understand their role(s) in menstrual-related practices and issues. I examine how men and boys experience practices of menstrual exclusion and how these are constructed throughout the life course, starting in childhood, into adolescence and during adulthood. I propose that these practices of exclusion are gendered and are informed by and reinforce the notion of menstruation as a feminised and shameful event to be concealed; shape men and boys’ negative attitudes towards menstruation; and can act as a hurdle in their communication about the menstrual cycle with each other, and with women, girls and people who menstruate. I explore how the conceptualisation of hegemonic masculinity can be a useful resource when seeking to explain gendered practices around menstruation and offer ‘Men as Menstrual Mortar’ as an analogy to visualise the position of men and boys (and women and girls) in a structure of menstrual shame, stigma, and taboo, and to consider the impact of the positive inclusion of men and boys in the social organisation of menstruation.