The perceptions of female youth regarding menstruation hygiene management in Kameeldrift, Tshwane

Abstract

Menstruation is a healthy and natural process amongst women and is considered to be one of the most important changes that takes place in a girl’s life as a sign of fertility and maturity. It is however, unfortunate that it is still considered a taboo in most communities and is ultimately not spoken about. Moreover, privatisation and lack of knowledge has led to poor menstruation hygiene management and menstruation being viewed negatively as an experience.

The aim of the study is to explore and describe the perceptions of female youth regarding menstruation hygiene management in Kameeldrift, Tshwane. As a guide, a qualitative approach, where female youth above 18 years and residing in Kameeldrift, Tshwane were interviewed. Simultaneously using phenomenology as a research design, specifically psychological phenomenology. This enabled the accurate descriptions of real life experiences from more than one participant for rich and in depth information of female youth, who have reached menarche (the age of first menstruation).

The type of non-probability sampling that was selected for this study is the purposive sampling. In order to collect data for the study, a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions were used in face-to-face interviews. Ten interviews were conducted with females from Kameeldrift who had reached menarche and were 18 of age and above. The results of the ten participants as well as that of the participants in the pilot study was presented.

The findings indicated that females in Kameeldrift have an understanding of menstruation or menstrual cycle. Some however, revealed some misconceptions that might be influenced by cultural beliefs related to menstruation. The study further revealed that even though participants do not practice some of the known cultural and religious beliefs, they still have an effect on how they view and experience menstruation. The study found that female youth in Kameeldrift are still challenged with access to menstrual material. Even though they understood the importance of menstrual hygiene however the lack of resources prevented hygiene practices during menstruation. The study further revealed that females are not prepared for menstruation or exposed to any menstrual related information until they reach menarche. When they finally reach menstruation, they still fear talking to their parents about this, hence find themselves talking to friends which still leaves them with insufficient knowledge regarding menstruation. Added to the above findings, the findings indicated that it continues to be a challenge when it comes to fulfilling menstrual hygiene in Kameeldrift as they do not have safe and private disposal areas instead use old pit toilets that continue to be a safety hazard in the community.

The study concludes that female youth in Kameeldrift understand menstruation however lack sufficient menstrual knowledge regarding menstruation, especially before menarche. It can further be concluded that participants lack menstrual material as well as support during menstruation which all influence how they perceive menstruation.

Recommendations in the present study include social workers advocating for community education around menstruation and raise awareness in Kameeldrift as this will assist in empowering females as well as contesting against any misconceptions and effects of cultural taboos. Moreover the need for projects that will implement possible access to cheaper and easily sustainable menstrual material such as reusable pads.