If Men Could Give Birth

I found myself laughing, but also nodding as I read through “If Men Could Menstruate”. For so long, menstruation has been an intimate topic often blamed for a women’s moodiness; some women are even embarrassed to mention the word period, let alone admit to being on that “time of the month”. This reading shows how even the biological aspects of our life can have meanings that have been culturally constructed. For example, when talking about women having periods, meanings of “bitchiness” and delicacy have been associated with menstruation; when men menstruate, meanings of power and competition come into play. This shows that no matter what is attributed toward men, they end up above women; when men menstruate, menstruation becomes a privilege that gives men a higher position that women cannot uphold. The article shows how social constructions of power and superiority will be linked to menstruation if it became a part of a mans life, it would also attribute competition between men, in other words it would become a trophy for men and an object of desire for women.

It came to mind that the same principles would be applied if men could suddenly give birth and women could not. Men would be praised for having the power to develop a new life inside of him and competitions regarding the belly size, size of the baby, length of delivery, and the pain intensity would arise. Men would be seen as being even stronger because they have become responsible for carrying another human being inside of them. Men would be able to argue against the usefulness of women since men hold the power of giving birth. Being able to give birth would be a phenomenon that only reinforces male superiority since they have become responsible for delivering new life into this world. Nonetheless, women would be left powerless and subordinate to men. Pregnancy would no longer be seen as something magical, emotional, and maternal as it is today; instead, it would be seen as a powerful privilege that only reinforces man’s strength and power.