The persistent power of stigma: A critical review of policy initiatives to break the menstrual silence and advance menstrual literacy.

ABSTRACT: Menstruation is shrouded in stigma and shame-that is the common refrain in burgeoning initiatives on menstrual health and hygiene. Public policies alone cannot undo stigma and enact social change, but they do interact with social norms. They can reflect and adopt stigmatizing attitudes and, as a result, institutionalize, formalize, and legitimize stigma; or they can actively challenge and denounce it and mitigate existing discrimination. Against this background, we explored whether and how policies on menstrual health and hygiene address menstrual stigma and advance menstrual literacy based on an analysis of 34 policy documents and 85 in-depth interviews with policy-makers and advocates in four countries: India, Kenya, Senegal, and the United States. We found that policies recognized menst

SUBMITTER: Olson MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10021325 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature