Madres tardías y mujeres menopáusicas: el lenguaje del control social

María  Ángeles Orts

doi:10.14198/dissoc.29844

Authors

María Ángeles Orts Universidad de Murcia, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8178-9255

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/dissoc.29844

Keywords:

advanced maternal age, menopause, medicalization, biomedical discourses, social regulation, Critical Discourse Analysis, Corpus Sense 0.9

Abstract

In contemporary Western societies, increasing female longevity enables women to extend their professional, social, and personal lives. Yet, this extended lifespan has been accompanied by discourses that regulate women’s choices around motherhood and ageing. Two key life stages—late motherhood (after age 35) and menopause—are especially subject to medical scrutiny and social control. Late motherhood is often portrayed as risky and abnormal, while menopause is framed as a marker of female decline. This study examines how both stages are represented in 22 Spanish-language biomedical and popular guides (12 on late pregnancy and 10 on menopause). Using a lexical-rhetorical approach grounded in critical discourse analysis (CDA), the study applies the Corpus Sense 0.9 tool to identify the linguistic patterns that construct these life phases as problematic. Findings show that these discourses reinforce dominant social and medical norms, presenting natural biological transitions as issues that require monitoring, intervention, or correction. In doing so, they contribute to the symbolic and practical regulation of women’s lives, shaping what is considered acceptable or appropriate at different stages of ageing. Ultimately, the study highlights how language plays a key role in sustaining normative views of the female body and its place in society.

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