And She Who Passes this Age is Old
Perceptions of Menopause in the Late Medieval West
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/ageculturehumanities.v8i.157174Abstract
This article explores perceptions of women's reproductive aging in the Late Medieval West, with a particular focus on the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Drawing on a diverse range of sources—including medical literature, narrative fiction, poetry, and documents of practice—it examines the role of reproductive aging in shaping conceptions of women's old age. Special attention is given to the end of reproductive capacity for women as a significant life transition, analyzing how it contributed to the formation of negative stereotypes about older women. The article further examines the concept of menopause as a biographical threshold, exploring the cultural significance of fertility loss for women and the expectations associated with it. Additionally, it addresses notions of bodily sex differentiation in later life, particularly in relation to prevailing beliefs about the effects of menopause and the bodies of women of post-reproductive age. Finally, it reflects on the gender bias present in available source material and its lasting influence on cultural perceptions of age, shaping both the Late Medieval cultural repertoire and contemporary understandings of pre-modern beliefs about women's bodily aging.
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