What Women Go Through

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What Women Go Through "What is wrong with you?" " Why are you crying?" Most women are asked questions similar to these every month by confused and unsympathetic men. Women's behavioral patterns are affected physically and emotionally on a monthly basis by their menstrual cycles. In aboriginal (tribal) societies, women were pampered every month during menstruation. "But, along with the universal devaluation of the feminine, women's ways have been distorted and dishonored by patriarchal rule" (Barclay, par. 2). Today, women must face the same exact challenges as men but must combat their emotions all the while.

PMS is one of the most recognized medical abbreviations in the English language. There is an "estimated 40 million women that suffer" from a range of "over 150 different symptoms" attributed to PMS (Daugherty 1). Although millions are affected, no precise cure or cause has been found. Women are forced to cope with symptoms that range from minor fatigue and headaches to hysterical crying and severe depression.

So a woman may have the same job and responsibilities as a man, but then have to battle both physical and emotional discomforts once a month. Symptoms of PMS can intensify job stresses far more than any man can comprehend. Imagine trying to meet a deadline while experiencing "headache, fatigue, irritability and crying spells" (Taber 1550). If these symptoms are attributed to a medical condition with no current cure, is it really fair to expect a woman not to need special considerations? For example, paralysis, a loss of voluntary motion, has required laws to be adapted to make life less complicated for such handicaps. Unfortunately most men do not see the limitations of the involuntary mood disorders suffered by most women almost every month of their lives. The only cessation that women get from their menstrual...