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Menopause and the virtuous woman: the importance of the moral order in accounting for medical decision making

Massey University, New Zealand, C.V.Stephens{at}massey.ac.nz

Mary Breheny

Massey University, New Zealand

Whether or not to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) around the time of menopause is seen as an important decision for many mid-aged women. Recent studies of information provided to women to assist them in making a medical decision about the use of HRT have highlighted the importance of understanding the broader social context of the decision. In this article we examine one important aspect of western mid-aged women's social world: the moral order and the imperative of virtue. Qualitative data from a survey, focus group discussions, and interviews with mid-aged women about HRT use are used to provide examples of the importance of the local moral order in women's talk about menopause and HRT use. The implications of these data will be discussed in terms of the different narrative resources available to construct menopause and HRT, the role of morality, and the demonstration of virtue in daily social life, including medical decision making.

Key Words: discourse • HRT • menopause • morality • narrative • virtue • women's health

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