Cycling Together: Menstrual Synchrony as a Projection of Gendered Solidarity

Abstract

Though researchers have hotly debated the phenomenon of menstrual synchrony—women menstruating in tandem when living in close quarters with one another—no conclusive evidence has proven or disproven its existence. In this theoretical article, we draw from sociological theories of collective identities, psychological research on menstrual synchrony, and relevant literatures on menstrual activism and sisterhood to examine the frequent occurrence of women's belief in menstrual synchrony despite the lack of evidence that this phenomenon actually occurs. We propose a theoretical explanation for women's beliefs in menstrual synchrony by arguing that these beliefs serve several functions that enhance gender solidarity: (a) reduction of shame and taboo related to menstruation; (b) a socially acceptable way of constructing modern “sisterhood”; (c) a method for marking women's relationship to nature; and (d) a pathway to fight back against sexism and sexist assumptions about menstruation and menstruating women. We argue that women's belief in menstrual solidarity has blocked efforts to debunk “myths” associated with menstrual synchrony, as women continue to validate, perpetuate, and endorse their menstrual solidarity with other women in a culture that largely devalues both menstruation and women's social bonds.