Toplumsal cinsiyet eşit(siz)liği tabusu: Türkiye'de menarş ve menstrüasyon deneyimleri

The main aim of this thesis study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the menstruation experiences of women living in Türkiye. The study specifically focused on how women experienced menarche when they were adolescents and what are their experiences currently in their living conditions. Although there are previously conducted research studies about menstruation in Türkiye, the lack of qualitative research on menstruation is remarkable. The research method was qualitative to apprehend their emotions, behaviors, and cognition in detail, comparing their past experiences with the present. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and 15 women's interviews were analyzed using Thematic Analysis Method using the MAXQDA 2022 program. Themes are found as a result of analysis under three main categories. The first category, menarche, includes four themes: affect, behavior, cognition, and knowledge. The first category focuses on participants' past experiences during adolescence, and the second category, menstruation at the individual level, focuses on current experiences. The themes for menstruation were found as affect, behavior, cognition, and complaints. The third category, menstruation at the societal level, consists of the attitude of society, things to do, rules, period poverty, and changes from past to present. The results of the current study outputs, themes, and sub-themes were discussed in the light of previous literature.