The Impact of Socio-Cultural Factors on Symptom Formation: Some Results of a Study on Ageing Women in Switzerland

Biology and culture are not completely independent spheres, but overlap partially. This is demonstrated with some data from a study involving interviews with 448 Swiss women of 41-60 years of age. It is shown that the impact of ageing and of the menopause as measured from two indices – climacteric complaints and subjective adaptation to daily life – is more severe in women of the lower social classes than in women of the higher social classes. Women who still have children at home are to some extent protected from the adverse effects of the crisis, the menopause. A plea is made for a more positive approach by the medical and related professions toward the menopause and ageing, as well as for a more realistically accommodating attitude on the part of legislative bodies.