The Psychology of the Female Body

First published in 1989, The Psychology of the Female Body examines the role of the female body in women’s identity and experience. She discusses how key events such as menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, and the menopause affect women’s lives, and looks at the ways in which the female body and reproduction have been used to confine and control women. She puts forward psychological evidence to refute many of the myths surrounding women’s bodies, highlighting how empirical evidence shows that, contrary to what stereotypes suggest, women are not victims of their biology. This book will be of interest to students of psychology, sociology, gender studies and women’s studies.