One odd thing that came to mind when I read this book was something one of my anthro professors said. She was talking about female seclusion during menstruation in Native American cultures. I thought the whole idea was barbaric and cruel, but she said that the secluded women probably welcomed the time off and the chance to socialize.

Of course, we don't get time off for having a time of the month, and in my case at least the whole affair is painful, messy and inconvenient. There's no fun to be had from it.

Of course, there are no men saying that my mentrual blood will blight the crops, cause death curses or make them impotent either, so I don't really have reason to complain.