“What if not having sanitary supplies meant days without school?”
This is among the many claims from nongovernmental organizations that girls miss school due to lack of access to sanitary pads, the embarrassment of leaks, or the pain and discomfort from using rags. In some cases, NGOs even argue that menstruation is the “number one reason that girls miss school.” If this were true, it would follow that all that is needed to achieve gender parity in secondary schools is the distribution of a few sanitary products.
Menstrual Hygiene Management is a growing sub-sector of international development that relies heavily on anecdotal reports linking menstruation with educational outcomes. And yet there is very little quantitative research to support these claims. Research in Nepal examining the effects of distributing menstrual cups to adolescent girls found no impact on school attendance, although it did show an increase in girls’ free time due to less need for washing. A study in Kenya reinforced that girls who used commercial sanitary pads enjoyed health benefits, but found no positive effects on school attendance.
About the author
Audrey Anderson
Audrey Anderson is an Associate at Oxu Solutions, a consulting firm based in Washington, DC, where she specializes in evidence-based programming for adolescent girls. Her prior experience includes curriculum development, education and social entrepreneurship in Latin America, Africa and Asia. She holds a bachelor’s from the College of William & Mary, and a master’s degree in international education and development from George Washington University. Follow her on Twitter at @aeande.