RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
Priscilla Vera
Boamah HSCO 500
RESEARCH PAPER: FINAL PAPER
Liberty University
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
Abstract
The main purpose of the study was to examine factors pertaining to the
need of pad by girls. However, the study clarified other aspect of the subject
matter to ensure a clear understanding of the topic, including stigmatization,
to mention but a few. The write-up’s intention was to throw light on the
challenges faced by young adolescent girls.
Furthermore, the write-up focused on developing countries because they are
exposed to such challenges, as compared to their developed countries. The
paper can be said to have accomplished al its goals and objectives as it
critiqued and analyzed literature on the all-girls needing pad. The paper
further was able to draw the needed conclusion between unhygienic
menstrual management practices and the health implications that are
associated with it. The study findings showed that the health implications
were both short and long term. Thus, behooving all stakeholder involved to
push more to curb the problem of lack of access to and unavailability of
sanitary pads.
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
All Girls Need a Pad
Menstruation- also known as having one’s period- is when tissue and blood
from the uterus come out of the vagina; an action that takes place very
month (Montgomery et al., 2016). Averagely periods start during puberty,
between the ages of 12 to 14, and the first period is called menarche. As
much as the menarche is an indicator for the onset of puberty, it has also
been a major anxiety-driving factor for most women, the world over.
Menstruation is an integral part of female biological and health development,
however in many developing countries, adolescent girls find it difficult to
manage it with dignity due to the lack of basic necessities, as all girls need
sanitary pad.
The Stigmatization about Menstruation
Although menstruation is a normal biological process that is experienced by
almost half of the population of the world, it still remains a dirty word in
countries around the globe (Litman, 2018). Furthermore, according to the
author, this has been exacerbated by tagging menstruation with
euphemisms such as “time of the month,” “female troubles,” and in the
Ghanaian local palance “Ne ho nte” meaning me not clean. The International
Women’s Health Coalition conducted a survey to examine stigmatization in-
depth and found that there are more than 5,000 slang words that have been
used to refer to menstruation in the different languages across the world
(Friedman, 2016). The usual approach people have to these euphemisms is
that it is innocuous or benign, but actually indicative a broader challenge
woman face, in regards to their menstrual health, around the world.
Knowledge/Information about Menstruation
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
Stigmatization, in any context, has been linked information and knowledge
(Piece, 2012). The researcher was of the view that menstruation is not
different in anyway. Many issues pertain or are linked to knowledge and
information and its association to stigmatization of menstruation and these
are lack of information, emotions and misinformation/myths.
Lack of Information and Misinformation
A study conducted by Sommer et al. (2020) examined stigmatization
pertaining to menstruation. The findings of the study indicated that women
are mostly stigmatized in situations where there has been limited
knowledge, training and information about menstruation. The researchers
argued that when women are not informed, knowledgeable or trained on
menstrual health they tend to find challenges in managing it and this
creates a negative reportage about menstruation. Many people see
menstruation as a weakness rather than a normal biological function.
Additionally, in situations where the adolescents seek information,
adolescents shy away from giving them the information that they need;
and in situations where the information is provides, it mostly relates to the
rituals and practices, as opposed to an in-depth explanation. Additionally,
Mason et al. (2013), added that in most middle- and
low-income countries menstruation is not taught in schools, thus further
limiting the level of information and creating further stigmatization.
Emotions Attached to Menarche
Mohammed et al. (2018) stated that as a daily occurrence, in developing
countries, adolescent school girls find menarche for first time in places
without water or toilets
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
and/or enough training and knowledge to understand the bodily changes
that they have observed. They maintained that a lady’s first time of
experiencing menarche from her vagina, without any preparedness, can be
shocking and frightening and this further increases the stigmatization
attached to it. Furthermore, studies have shown that this affects their
confidence and self-esteem (Olutunji et al., 2013). Thus, women get stuck on
the initial shyness, confusion, pain and uneasiness that is attached to
menarche.
Taboos, Customs or Tradition
Another key fact that has been attached to stigmatization has been the
negatives belief, taboos, traditions and customs that have been attached to
menstruation (Mohammed et al., 2018). In most situations, the euphemisms
are attached to cultural beliefs, taboos and myths associated with
menstruation. Thus, stigmatization also comes in the form of negative belief,
which is knowledge per say but wrong information (Baku et al., 2020).
Mostly, cultures have negative perceptions about women menstruating,
which leads to they being ostracized and humiliated (Montgomery et al.,
2016). A case in point is that Venezuelan women are made to sleep in huts
when they are menstruation. Additionally, in Ghana a rural woman is
forbidden from cooking when they are menstruating because they are
considered unclean. This is one of the key challenges associated with
stigmatization.
Unwanted Pregnancy
Studies show that most girls are mostly unprepared, thus finding it
challenging to manage what should have been a normal biological
experience (Schmitt, Clatworthy and Ratnayake, 2017; Olaturji, Cox and Li,
2020). This comes in the form of having the
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right knowledge, resources and materials to understand the menstrual cycle.
Sarkar et al. (2017) was of the view that the knowledge of period and
menstrual cycle has an impact on pregnancy, which involves preparing a
woman’s body for pregnancy and in situations where the woman does not
get pregnant then the onset of menstruation.
Thus, the lack of knowledge in this area can contribute to unwanted
pregnancies.
Issues Pertaining to Sanitary facilities/pads
Inadequacy of Sanitary Pads
A report by UNICEF (2018) intimated that there is a gap in the number of
women in developing countries and the access of sanitary pads in the
country. This has been linked to lack of access, limited access in emergency
situations and substitutes used in place of sanitary pads.
Lack of Access to Sanitary Pads
Schmitt (2017) was of the view that most developing countries often face
challenges during menstruation in relation to access to sanitary products.
Wang et al. (2019) maintained that in most situations’ girls do not have
money to purchase sanitary pads. Olatunji et al. (2020) identified that
parents mostly unwilling or find it unnecessary to provide girls with these
resources and materials to help support their menstrual hygiene. Sommer et
al. (2020) was of the view that in emergency situations teachers and school
authorities didn’t find it necessary to provide sanitary products for girls.
Thus, the challenge has not been with availability of the products but the
capacity to purchase when needed.
Emergency Situations that Limit Access to Sanitary Pad
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
Recently, a 2018 UNICEF report focusing on Sudan and Libya found that
most women in war torn areas find difficulty in accessing sanitary pad. The
report, further, noted that conflicts/war situation limit access to basic
necessities including clean water, medicine, and food and hygiene products
including sanitary pads. Wang et al. (2019) added that women in war torn
and conflict zones tend to rely on external aid to meet their basic and these
mostly doesn’t include sanitary pads, as such limiting their access to these
basic amenities. Thus, in this situation it is not only about money to purchase
but also the problem of unavailability.
Substitutes to Sanitary Pads
Pierce (2012) stated that due to the limited in supply of sanitary pad or the
lack of access to it most women resort to other materials to help them
control the blood flow when they are menstruating. Studies have shown that
these materials mostly include the use of rags and sometimes notebook
paper (Litman, 2018; Belayneh and Mekuriaw, 2019). Another study
conducted by Olatunyi et al. (2020) added that girls resort to unhygienic
substitutes like banana leaves, grass, newspaper and even cow dung.
Although these substitutes are not hygienic and effective in managing the
blood flow, these ladies do not have any option but to use them, as their
capacity to have access to sanitary pad is either hampered by poverty,
unavailability or both.
Lack of Sanitary Facilities in Schools
Another key issue of interest is the lack of sanitary facilities in schools. This
issue is of prime important because most girls spend their time in school, as
compared to the house. The lack of these basic amenities makes school
inhabitable for most ladies,
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
especially when they menstruate. Research suggests that the problem with
access to proper menstrual hygiene is not only limited to the lack of sanitary
pad but also other necessities needed to support women when menstruating
(Khumalo, 2017).
Litman (2018) noted that most schools in developing countries do not have
separate toilet facilities for gents and ladies and lack access to clean water
that is critically needed when menstruating. Evidence shows that there is
the lack of assistance on the part of the school authorities to assist students
when they are menstruating, as such marginalizing women in the process.
Statistics
Due to the importance of menstrual hygiene the UN and other statutory
bodies, including UNICEF provides a lot of statistics on the subject matter.
According to UNICEF (2018), at the global level about 2.3 billion women
don’t have access to sanitary pads and facilities. Furthermore, the report
shows that 12% of women in the United States and 27% of women in
developing countries lack access to sanitary pad. In addition, about ½ of
schools in developing countries do not have access to sanitary facilities and
emergency pads. From the statistics above it can be observed that women
are at a critical disadvantage as they tend to suffer the implications that are
linked to menstrual management hygiene.
Implications Associated with the Lack of Sanitary
Pad Academic and Women Empowerment
A recent study conducted by Mason et al. (2013) examined limitations to
academic and women empowerment that was posed by the lack of sanitary
pads and facilities. The
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
study found that women were limited academically and career wise due to
the lack of sanitary pad. The study further found that 30% of girls drop out
of school or miss classes due to menstruation and the lack of a sanitary
pad to manage the blood flow.
Furthermore, Sommer et al. (2020) noted that gender Inequality and inequity
at the work place and in developing countries can be linked to issues
pertaining to the unavailability or lack of access to sanitary pads. As
observed, the lack of sanitary pad hinders women from going to school,
which limited their capacity to compete with their male counterpart in the
career world. Women are often marginalized and not offer leadership
positions due to the myths and beliefs associated to their menstrual cycle.
Additionally, most women are not even confidence enough to apply for such
positions due to the stigmatization attached to menstruation, as well as the
lack of allowed to come into a community or a house when they are
menstruating, which is a key disadvantage to career and academic progress.
Health Implications
Many health implications have been associated with the use substitutes or
the lack of sanitary pad usage by women. The health implications include
unitary tract and reproductive infections, bacterial infection and issues
pertaining to menstrual hygiene management and these are discussed in this
section.
Menstrual hygiene
The problems associated with menstrual hygiene mostly is linked to its
management. The lack of sanitary pads and other facilities to support
women when they are menstruating contributes extensively to menstrual
unhygienic practices, which include
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using grass, cow dung, paper and rags (Belayneh and Mekuriaw, 2019).
Recently, Sommer et al. (2020) maintained that such substitutes has
contributed to a lot of complications for women, as these are linked to
various diseases and health problems. The challenge is with the lack of
materials to manage menstruation; this includes sanitary pads, running
water, soap and toilets. Statistics show that about 36% of women practice
unhygienic menstrual management practices, which exposes them health
complications.
(Hoffman, 2019).
Urinary tract, Reproductive and Bacterial Infections
Experts and researchers have argued that the lack of sanitary pad usage
amongst adolescent girls has been a major contributor to the rise in urinary
tract and reproductive infections amongst adolescents. Studies have shown
that girls need safe, affordable and effective menstrual products to maintain
their menstrual hygiene when menstruating, the lack of which can lead to
various infections (Belayneh and Mekuriaw, 2019; Baku et al., 2020).
Findings form these studies have shown that the use of unhygienic
substitutes for sanitary pads leads to candida, Bacterial vaginosis and
Trichomonas vaginalis. The study results showed that 52% of women were
diagnosed with at least one of the infections stated, with BV being the
prevalent infection. Thus, unhygienic menstrual management leads to
bacterial and fungal infections.
Another study conducted by Jannowalla et al., (2020) examined the rate of
urinary tract infections amongst adolescent that used sanitary pad and
those that did not use sanitary pads. The study found that adolescent girl
that used sanitary pads were less
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likely to get a urinary or bacterial infection as compared to those who did not
use. Furthermore, a study conducted by Sarkar et al. (2017) in India
examined the neglect of menstrual hygiene amongst Indian adolescent girls.
The study considered reproductive and urinary tract infections. The study
finding showed that good menstrual hygiene was mainly linked to children
who had educated mothers, whilst generally the menstrual hygiene was
considered to be poor amongst them the population used for the study.
Further, the study findings showed that the girls were exposed to a lot of
urinary tract and reproductive tract infection. Therefore, showing a linkage
between the lack of sanitary pad and bacterial, reproductive and urinary
tract infections.
Birth complication/Cervical cancer
In recent times, studies have shown that there has been a sharp rise in the
number of women with issues of birth complications and cervical cancer.
These studies have looked at the role of ineffective menstrual hygiene and
birth complications and cervical cancer, and have observed an association
between long term urinary and reproductive tract diseases, as well as
bacterial infection. Sarkar et al. (2017) has been a key proponent in this
area. The researcher was of the view that women experience ectopic
pregnancy, infertility and cervical cancer as problems arising from
unhygienic menstrual practices.
Furthermore, Belayneh and Mekuriaw (2019), based on a cross-sectional
study in Odisha, found that the lack of clean water, soap and sanitary pads
to manage menstruation was a key challenge in the fight against lower
unitary and reproductive tract diseases. Montogmery et al. (2016) added
that bacterial and fungal growth in the vaginal area affect hormones, tissues
and some of the organs in these tracts, leading to
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significant long-term effects. Relevant to note that most of these adolescent
girls may not be aware of the potential danger that these are being exposed
to and that can cause them a lot of havoc in the future.
Measures to Bridge the Gap
To help bridge the gap that exist between girls that have access to
sanitary pad and those that don’t, the stakeholders involved should all
put their hand on deck to help remedy the situation. Key stakeholder in
this fight includes government, parents and school authorities and the
private sector.
Government Policies and Measure
Montgomery et al. (2016) was of the view that the first and most important
stakeholder remain to be the government of these developing countries.
Their role is unparalleled as they are in charge of implementing policies and
providing sanitary products and facilities. As noted by Baku et al. (2020) the
government can subsidize the prices of sanitary pad to ensure that poverty
doesn’t limit any girls from having access to sanitary pads. Furthermore, the
government has to make sure to provide all the needed resources, as well as
facilities that are needed for girls to engage in good menstrual hygiene.
Additionally, the government has to come up with educational and training
programs, in the area of menstrual education, to help solve the problem of
lack of information and knowledge (Sommer et al., 2020). As this will go a
long way to help reduce the problems faced by young adolescent girls who
do not know anything about menstruation.
Parental and School Measures
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On the part of the parents and Schools, as they serve as primary and
secondary care givers, respectively, they have the responsibility of provide
the girls with information, training, as well as providing them with sanitary
pads and other needed resources (Janoowalla et al., 2020). The school
authorities are to make sure they get the needed basic amenities like clean
water, soap and providing ladies with hygienic toilet and washroom
facilities. Khumalo (2015), also argues that the provision of these resources
will drastically reduce the average number of schools drop outs and missing
of classes, as a result of menstrual management. Additionally, the schools
and parent are expected to work with government by making sure that the
policies and measure that are implemented are adhered to and applied
(Baku et al., 2020).
Role of the Private Sector
The role of the private sector cannot be over emphasized. History has taught
that for public sector initiatives and policies to work better they need the
help of the private sector. Hoffman (2019) was of the view that the private
sector is mostly tasked with coming up with innovative measure to help
solve the many challenges that are face by girl during their period. A study
conducted by Sommer et al. (2020) found that coming up with cheaper but
safe menstrual pad and facilities help bridge a gap between the problems
faced by women and the remedies available to solve the problem. Thus, the
private sector role in the fight against the lack of sanitary pad is critical and
needs to be upheld and promoted.
Conclusion
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In conclusion the write up examined, extensively the menstrual hygiene with
the main emphasis on the need for menstrual pads for girls. The write up,
whoever moved from stigmatization, issues pertaining to sanitary
facilities/pads, implications of the lack of sanitary pads and finally, the
measures to bridge the gap the exists. The write-up has been able to
achieve all the set goals and objectives, as it delved into literature and
analytical thinking to come up with key issues that needed to be analyzed.
Furthermore, its sufficient to note that with the consent of all stakeholders, it
becomes easy to solve menstrual related and challenges. The study
concludes that the unavailability and lack of access to sanitary pad
contributes significantly to health, academic and career complication for
girls at the adolescent age.
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RESEARCH PAPER: ALL GIRLS NEED A PAD!!!
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