Cultural and social practices regarding menstruation among adolescent girls
Open accessAbstract
The study attempts to find out the existing social and cultural practices regarding menstruation, awareness levels, and the behavioral changes that come about in adolescent girls during menstruation, their perception about menarche, how do they treat it, and the various taboos, norms, and cultural practices associated with menarche. The study was conducted on 117 adolescent girls (age 11-20 years) and 41 mothers from various communities and classes in Ranchi comprising residential colonies and urban slums. The findings unfolds many practices: cultural and social restrictions associated with menstruation, myth, and misconception; the adaptability of the adolescent girls toward it; their reaction, reaction of the family; realization of the importance of menstruation; and the changes that have come in their life after menarche and their resistance to such changes. The article also suggests the strategies to improve menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls. The study concludes that cultural and social practices regarding menstruation depend on girls' education, attitude, family environment, culture, and belief.
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Commercial menstrual products may be unavailable or too costly, prompting rural and poor women and girls to use available materials such as cloth from old clothing and cotton.
“Resources, like commercial menstrual products, may be unavailable or too costly, prompting rural and poor women and girls to use available materials such as cloth from old clothing and cotton [11, 12, 23–26].”
From ’It’s like a burden on the head’: Redefining adequate menstrual hygiene management throughout women’s varied life stages in Odisha, India. (2019) · cites this paper as [25]
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- Authors
- Kumar, A., & Srivastava, K.
- Affiliations
- Xavier Institute of Social Service (IN)
- ORCID
- Kumar, Anant
- Venue
- Social Work in Public Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2011-09-15
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 594-604
- ISSN
- 1937-190X (ISSN-L)
- 1937-1918
- OpenAlex
- W2063809929
- Cited by
- 208
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 6
- FWCI
- 3.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- papers.ssrn.com
- Locations
- Social Work in Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Keywords
- menstruation, menarche, adolescent girls, menstrual taboos, menstrual health and hygiene, menstrual awareness, gender norms, urban slums, Ranchi
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Culture, Female, Humans, Hygiene, India, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Menarche, Menstruation, Mothers, Mythology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Class, Social Values, Taboo, Young Adult
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