Exploring barriers to menstrual education between maternal figures and young girls : a pilot study in South Africa

Abstract

The study sought to explore barriers to menstrual education between maternal figures and young girls. Menstruation is a key part of the reproductive process and affects young adolescent girls. Menstrual blood is perceived as contaminating and impure, leading to the socialization of women and girls undergoing menstruation to feel soiled and impure. Menstruation is enveloped in feelings of disgust and shame, and societal expectations, dictating that women should conceal the appearance and odor of menstrual blood. Prevailing cultural narratives depict menstruation as a “hygienic crisis” necessitating management and concealment. In sub-Saharan Africa, menstruation is afflicted with shame and stigma, with cultural and religious practices that support its concealment and secrecy. This is explained in the pollution theory which sees menstruation as dirt. This study used qualitative research to get the lived experiences of 10 maternal figures and 10 young adolescent girls through semi-structured interviews. Maternal figures are the mothers/guardians of adolescent girls. The data was coded using similarities/differences in three themes (knowledge about menstruation, source of information, and quality of information shared). In the first theme, due to the concealment and treatment of menstruation with secrecy, knowledge about menstruation is not often provided. In the second theme, due to norms of concealment, maternal figures do shy away from being sources of information. In the last theme, stigma and shame limit the quality of information shared, leaving misinformation and further perpetuation of menstrual taboos. The study concluded that shame and stigma limit menstrual education and awareness. The information deficit has long-lasting effects on young girls, creating a complex relationship that adversely affects their ability to embrace their womanhood and further pass on knowledge to future generations of adolescent girls.