Crossref JGate SDG Google Scholar Open Access Creative Commons WorldCat OCLC DORA Scilit Semantic Scholar SDG
WASH Facilities and Menstrual Hygiene Management at Schools of Rural Bihar: A Mixed-Methods Study of Adolescent Girls
ARTICLE PDF FILE

Keywords

WASH
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)
Adolescent Girls
Cultural Taboos
Girls Education

Categories

How to Cite

Ratan, A., & Tiwari, A. (2025). WASH Facilities and Menstrual Hygiene Management at Schools of Rural Bihar: A Mixed-Methods Study of Adolescent Girls. South India Journal of Social Sciences, 23(1), 187-196. https://doi.org/10.62656/SIJSS.v23i1.1800

Abstract

This study explores the importance of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities along with menstrual hygiene management (MHM) services for adolescent girls in the schools of Khudabandpur Block of Begusarai District, Bihar. Menstrual hygiene is a crucial factor influencing girls' overall health, school attendance, academic performance and educational outcomes. The research highlights girls' socio-economic, cultural, and infrastructural challenges in managing their menstrual hygiene in rural India. A total of 279 adolescent girls from four schools participated in the study, with data collected through interviews with local teachers and community members. The findings reveal that 87 per cent of the girls had no prior knowledge of menstruation before menarche, leading to confusion and fear during their first experience. Cultural taboos surrounding menstruation and inadequate facilities for MHM significantly impact the education of girls. The study concludes that improving access to affordable menstrual products, enhancing WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) infrastructure, and implementing comprehensive menstrual education programs are essential for promoting girls' overall well-being in rural areas. 

ARTICLE PDF FILE

References

Aggarwal, S., Ambalkar, D., Madhumathi, J., Badge, V., & Humne, A. (2021). Menstrual hygiene practices of adolescent girls in rural Maharashtra. Indian Journal of Gender Studies, 28(1), 127-137.

Caruso, B. A., Clasen, T. F., Hadley, C., Yount, K. M., Haardörfer, R., Rout, M., ... & Cooper, H. L. (2017). Understanding and defining sanitation insecurity: women’s gendered experiences of urination, defecation and menstruation in rural Odisha, India. BMJ global health, 2(4), e000414.

Chakravarthy, V., Rajagopal, S., & Joshi, B. (2019). Does menstrual hygiene management in urban slums need a different lens? Challenges faced by women and girls in Jaipur and Delhi. Indian Journal of Gender Studies, 26(1-2), 138-159.

Dasgupta, A., & Sarkar, M. (2008). Menstrual hygiene: how hygienic is the adolescent girl?. Indian journal of community medicine, 33(2), 77-80.

Dumont, L. (1980). Homo hierarchicus: The caste system and its implications. University of Chicago Press.

Freud, S. (2012). Totem and taboo. Routledge.

Garg, S., & Anand, T. (2015). Menstruation related myths in India: strategies for combating it. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 4(2), 184-186.

Goel, M. K., & Kundan, M. (2011). Psycho-social behaviour of urban Indian adolescent girls during menstruation. The Australasian medical journal, 4(1), 49.

Gundi, M., & Subramanyam, M. A. (2020). Gender as a social determinant of menstrual health: A mixed methods study among Indian adolescent girls and boys. MedRxiv, 2020-08.

Priyadarshani, R. (2023, September 26). In Bihar, menstrual hygiene still an obstacle for girls to attend school. 101 Reporters. https://101reporters.com/article/education/In_Bihar_menstrual_hygiene_still_an_obstacle_for_girls_to_attend_school

Rajagopal, S., & Mathur, K. (2017). ‘Breaking the silence around menstruation’: experiences of adolescent girls in an urban setting in India. Gender & Development, 25(2), 303-317.

Sopam, R. (2021, May 28). ‘Only 58.8% of women in Bihar use hygienic methods of protection during menstruation’: Survey. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/patna-news/only-58-8-of-women-in-bihar-use-hygienic-methods-of-protection-during-menstruation-survey101622189831389.html

Unicef. (2019, March). Guidance on menstrual health and hygiene. Unicef. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/media/91341/file/UNICEF-Guidance-menstrual-health-hygiene-2019.pdf

Unicef. (2019). Menstrual hygiene ‘Gender inequality, cultural taboos and poverty can cause menstrual health needs to go unmet’. Unicef. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/wash/menstrual-hygiene

Word Bank Group. (2022, May 12). Menstrual Health and Hygiene. World Bank Group. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/brief/menstrual-health-and-hygiene

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2025 South India Journal of Social Sciences