The DOI matches its Crossref record; 60 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
It’s a girl thing: Menstruation, school attendance, spatial mobility and wider gender inequalities in Kenya
Open accessAbstract
Recent attention has been drawn to possible linkages between poor sanitation in sub-Saharan African schools and low attendance rates amongst post-pubescent girls. In particular, questions have been raised about the influence of menstruation and access to sanitary products on schoolgirl absenteeism but research on this topic is scarce. Moreover, the few detailed empirical studies that have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa on this topic have produced contradictory results. These uncertainties coupled with theories of how concepts of pollution and taboo are used to construct or police spatial boundaries (and maintain power relations within society) provide an interesting context for examining everyday geographies of menstruation. Kisumu, Kenya provides the context for the study which utilises a feminist political ecology framework to investigate cultural and spatial limitations associated with menstruation and puberty. Drawing on schoolgirls’ lived experiences, we illustrate how emotional geographies of puberty and menstruation are productive of and help to reproduce gender inequalities in mobility and access to social capital resources (especially education). At the same time we show how poverty coupled with low levels of sexual and reproductive health and rights education can exacerbate gendered bodily inequalities as girls face an increased risk of sexual exploitation when they reach puberty.
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In the citing paper
“A study from Kenya found that orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) had better access to sanitary pads than non-orphans as they received sponsorships that paid for supplies, alongside school fees, meals and uniforms [30].”
From Menstrual health and school absenteeism among adolescent girls in Uganda (MENISCUS): a feasibility study (2018) · cites this paper as [30]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Teachers absolved boys of their behavior toward girls, saying girls should not be “mixing up” with boys, solidifying the idea that boys are not accountable for their actions [51, 52].”
From Physical, social, and political inequities constraining girls’ menstrual management at schools in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. (2017) · cites this paper as [52]
In the citing paper
“In some studies, knowledge was more varied, with those who had attended secondary education or schools with more comprehensive reproductive health education having adequate knowledge”
From Women’s and girls’ experiences of menstruation in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2019) · cites this paper as [64]
In the citing paper
“however, this information was often provided without clarifying how or when girls were vulnerable to pregnancy”
From Women’s and girls’ experiences of menstruation in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2019) · cites this paper as [64]
In the citing paper
“Two studies from Kenya and one in Ghana noted concerns that girls engaged in transactional sex to meet menstrual and other personal funding needs [4, 11, 64]; authors of a study in Ethiopia noted that this was not reported in their population [100].”
From Women’s and girls’ experiences of menstruation in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2019) · cites this paper as [64]
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Citations
Cites
Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo
McCormack, W., & Douglas, M. (1967) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1384077 · Cited by 5,738
Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo.
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Sultana, F. (2011) · Geoforum · doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2010.12.002 · Cited by 570
Introducing new feminist political ecologies
Elmhirst, R. (2011) · Geoforum · doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2011.01.006 · Cited by 505
(Re-)Conceptualizing water inequality in Delhi, India through a feminist political ecology framework
Truelove, Y. (2011) · Geoforum · doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2011.01.004 · Cited by 481
Prostitution, Power and Freedom
Davidson, J. (1998) · University of Michigan Press eBooks · doi:10.3998/mpub.10885 · Cited by 446
Research works printed but not linked: 7
- Cooke, J., 2006. Practical Interventions to Meet the Menstrual Hygiene Needs of Schoolgirls: A Case Study from Katakwi, Uganda. Unpublished PhD thesis, Cranfield University.
- Cowen, D., Lehrer, U., Winkler, A., 2005. The secret lives of toilets: a public discourse on ‘private’ spaces in the city. In: McBride, J., Wilcox, A. (Eds.), uTOpia. Toronto: Coach House Books, pp. 194–203.
- Daley, 2000, Flushed with pride: Women’s quest for public toilets in New Zealand, Women’s Stud. J., 16, 95
- FAWE Uganda, 2003. Creating Opportunities for Girls’ Participation in Education in Uganda Presentation at Transforming Spaces: Girlhood, Action and Power Conference, Montreal, November 2003.
- Kirk, J., Sommer, M., 2005. Menstruation and Body Awareness: Critical Issues for Girls, Education Newsletter for Beyond Access: Gender, Education and Development, vol. 15, pp. 4–5.
- Malusu, 2014, An evaluation of the perception of secondary school students towards menstruation in Kenya, Afr. J. Educ. Technol., 4, 83
- Scott, L., Dopson, S., Montgomery, P., Dolan, C., Ryus, C., 2009. Impact of Providing Sanitary Pads to Poor Girls in Africa. Working Paper. SAID Business School, University of Oxford.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Hennegan, J., Shannon, A. K., Rubli, J., Schwab, K. J., & Melendez-Torres, G. J. (2019) · PLOS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002803 · Cited by 577
“…(n = 15) Adegbayi 2017 [32]; Caruso 2013 [41]; Castaneda 1996 [42]; Chothe 2014 [46]; da Silva Bretas 2011 [52]; Garg 2001 [14]; Guerry 2013 [59]; Jewitt 2014 [64]; Long 2013 [9]; Nanda 2016 [75]; Nechitilo 2016 [77]; Padmanadbhanunni 2017 [78]; Secor-Turner 2016 [85]; Trinies 2015 [95]; Wall…”
MethodInfluentialMenstruation: science and society
Critchley, H., Babayev, E., Bulun, S. E., Clark, S., Garcia-Grau, I., Gregersen, P. K., Kilcoyne, A., Kim, J.-Y. J., Lavender, M. D., Marsh, E. E., et al. (2020) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2020.06.004 · Cited by 533
Miiro, G., Rutakumwa, R., Nakiyingi-Miiro, J., Nakuya, K., Musoke, S., Namakula, J., Francis, S., Torondel, B., Gibson, L. J., Ross, D. A., et al. (2018) · BMC Women's Health · doi:10.1186/s12905-017-0502-z · Cited by 297
Menstrual Hygiene Management in Resource-Poor Countries
Kuhlmann, A. S., Henry, K., & Wall, L. L. (2017) · Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey · doi:10.1097/ogx.0000000000000443 · Cited by 268
Davis, J., Macintyre, A., Odagiri, M., Suriastini, W., Cordova, A., Huggett, C., Agius, P. A., Budiyani, A. E., Quillet, C., Cronin, A. A., et al. (2018) · Tropical Medicine & International Health · doi:10.1111/tmi.13159 · Cited by 200
“Assessing the quality of school participation and performance as outcomes may have strengthened our study and permitted a more nuanced understanding of the impact of poor MHM on educational outcomes, beyond absenteeism [5, 41].”
Result
Metadata
- Authors
- Jewitt, S., & Ryley, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Jewitt, Sarah
- ORCID
- Jewitt, Sarah
- Venue
- Geoforum
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-09
- Volume
- 56
- Pages
- 137-147
- ISSN
- 0016-7185 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2142321107
- Cited by
- 158
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 7.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Geoforum (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Nottingham ePrints (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- University of Nottingham
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Geography and Education Methods
- Social Sciences › Education › Gender, Education, and Development Issues
- Keywords
- menstruation, school attendance, school absenteeism, puberty, gender inequality, spatial mobility, everyday geographies, emotional geographies, sanitation, sanitary products, social capital, sexual and reproductive health education, sexual exploitation, poverty, feminist political ecology, Kisumu
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