Article Review: Feminine Protection
Article
The journal article was entitled “’Feminine Protection’: the Effects of Menstruation on Attitudes Towards Women”. It aims to determine the objectification of women by society with regard to reminding of her menstrual status. It was conducted by researchers Tomi-Ann Roberts, Jamie L. Goldenberg, Cathleen Power, and Tom Pyzczynski in 2002. It was published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly Volume 26 on pages 131 -139.
The primary research question in the study is whether there will be incidences of negative reactions and objectifications to women when they are reminded of their menstrual status. The researchers hypothesized that if people get reminded that a women has a menstrual condition, such as dropping tampons for example, they will react negatively to the woman in question. In addition, they also wished to know if the corresponding reactions are elicited by views about the place of women in society and their presupposed sanitary status.
Sample
Naturally, it would be inconceivable and impractical to get statistical data from all members of the population, so a sample was taken from the general population. The participants included students enrolled in a psychology class at a university in Colorado. There were 65 students overall, 32 of which are female and 33 are males. The ages of the participants range from 17 – 36, with a mean of 19.62 with a standard deviation of 3.30. Caucasians comprise 81% of the sampled population, while Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and other races constitute 9%, 6%, and 4% of the population respectively.
Key Variables
In order to determine the variables in the study, it would helpful if an overview of the experiment method was made. Participants were told to be in the same room as a female subject, in which she would drop either a hairclip or a tampon. Afterwards, the subject would be made to be in the same room with the previous participants, and his reaction towards the woman, specifically his or her avoidance to that woman after she dropped the item, was measured by counting his or her distance in chairs away from that woman. In addition, participants were asked to rate their partner, i.e. the woman, in terms of competence.
With that said, the dependent variable in the study would be the reaction of the subject to the woman after she dropped her item. This variable is largely qualitative, so it has to be converted so that statistical treatments could be performed on it. In this case, it was measured by the number of chairs away from the woman in question. The independent variables—factors which influence the dependent variable in question—are the gender of the participant (male or female) and the item dropped (hairclip or tampon). Another dependent variable is the competence of the woman.
Statistical Techniques
In order to generate results, the researchers used a 2x2 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). In this way, effects of gender and the item dropped can be determined independently of each other. A chi-square analysis was also performed to determine if there were significant interaction on the dropped item and the distance of the chairs.
Research Results
Based on the statistical analyses performed, it was found out that the participants rated the women who dropped their tampons significantly lower than those who did not, having a p-value of 0.041. This result was independent of gender, meaning that this factor has no influence on the rating. Additionally, the women who dropped the tampon were less liked (p-value – 0.045) and were objectified more (p-value = 0.025).
As for the chi-square analysis, 53% of the participants sat away from the woman who dropped the tampon compared to the 32% who sat away from the woman who dropped the paperclip. However, the statistical analysis reveals no significant difference, with a p-value of 0.09.
All tests were conducted at a 5% level of significance.
Interpretation
Based on the results, it can be concluded that the participants looked down on the women who dropped the tampon, seeing that they were rated less competent, liked less, and stayed away. In other words, it can be concluded that the reminder of menstruation is one of the factors as to why the female sex is looked down upon in the society nowadays, and so why females would like to conceal their menstrual status as much as possible.
Strengths
One of the strengths of the study is that it adapted its methods from preexisting studies, which are outlined in the literature review at the start of the journal. In that way, the methods are objectively verified and reliable results can be obtained. Additionally, the method used in the experiment was conducted in an experimental setting and not through surveys and questionnaires. In that way, data can be obtained firsthand and not clouded by bias and perspectives that can possibly occur in surveys.
Limitations
Like any other study, the research also suffers from some drawbacks. For one, the population is selected purposively and not at random. Because of this, the results may not necessarily represent the whole population. In addition, the researchers did not oversee the possibility of any other factors that could possibly affect the results obtained. In over to overcome this, it is recommended to sample randomly from the population and to include the effect of other factors when analyzing the results.
Reference
Roberts, T.A.., Goldenberg, J. L., Power, C., Pysczynski, T. (2002). “Feminine protection”: The effects of menstruation on attitudes towards women. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 26. doi: 10.1111/1471-6402.00051
