Menssex i Sverige : En kvalitativ intervjustudie om menstruation och sexualitet

Background: Menstruation and sexuality are globally regarded as important yet separate aspects within both public health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In Sweden, SRHR is considered a key component of gender equality efforts. Despite this, the intersection of these two topics, menstrual sex, is not addressed in either Swedish research or policy documents. Because of this, there is a need to study menstrual sex. This thesis refers to women in the results section due to the sample, but it is noted that groups other than cis-women can also be menstruating individuals. Aim and research questions: The aim of this study is to examine how social and cultural norms influence how menstruating individuals understand and engage in menstrual sex in a Swedish context. The research questions addressed are how do menstruating individuals in Sweden describe and experience menstrual sex and what factors influence the decision to have or not have menstrual sex. Methodology and theoretical approach: The study is based on a qualitative research design, using ten semi-structured interviews with women aged 21 to 30 who have experience of menstruating. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the material is interpreted using sexual scripts, menstrunormativity, and heteronormativity. Results: The results are presented in three main themes: To have or not to have menstrual sex, It’s blood, and A feminist act. These themes present the interview responses with a focus on cultural and social norms surrounding menstrual sex. Conclusion: The results show that women describe menstrual sex as strongly scripted in a Swedish context and that there is also a hierarchy within menstrual sex, where it is accepted only within certain predefined boundaries. The decision to have or not have menstrual sex is largely influenced by how men view menstruation. However, the results also show that scripts surrounding menstrual sex are changing. It is recommended that menstrual sex be included in public health and SRHR, both in Sweden and internationally, and that future studies include a more diverse sample of participants.