Abstract:
Adolescence is a crucial stage in life that is challenging to most girls because of the
physiological and psychological changes they undergo, compounded by the socio-
economic implications of the onset of menstruation. In Kenya, there have been on-going
campaigns and subsequent provision of sanitary towels to adolescent girls in urban
informal settlements and among some marginalized communities as part of the efforts to
ensure equitable access to education among females in poor neighbourhoods. However,
scholars have argued that addressing adolescent girls’ concerns requires a holistic
approach that takes into consideration all the contextual factors that exacerbate the
situation. The purpose of this study was to explore the menstrual communication of
adolescent girls with parents, guardians, teachers, siblings and friends at school and at
home in an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Its main focus was to examine
adolescent girls’ experiences in communicating their menstruation-related concerns,
such as the need for sanitary towels and medication, and the need for permission to visit
the wash rooms to change their sanitary towels during unexpected onset of menstruation
at school. Further, the study investigated how the adolescent girls constructed the
meanings of their menstrual experiences and how menstruation affected their lives. The
study adopted a phenomenological approach to explore the meanings and interpretations
of menstruation from the point of view of 22 adolescent girls aged between 15 and 17
years over a six-month period. The study explored the adolescent girls’ own experiences
of menstruation through journaling, body mapping, focus group discussions and
individual interviews. The findings suggested that most parents did not prepare their
daughters for menstruation, hence the girls found it difficult to initiate conversation
about these issues when the time came. The majority of the participants treated
menstruation-related issues with privacy, and could only share them with close friends
and peers who offered information and psychological support during the moments of
discomfort, especially when they experienced menstrual pains. In classroom situations,
adolescent girls often found it difficult to discuss issues relating to menstruation,
especially with their male teachers. The study further noted that, because of the culture
of taboo surrounding the discourse on menstruation, adolescent girls established space
for negotiating menstruation through the use of metaphorical language. Importantly, the
metaphors selected reflected the socially constructed notions of menstruation within the
adolescent girls’ lifeworld. Based on these findings, the study concluded that the
adolescent girls’ lived experiences, together with the socially constructed meanings of
menstruation, ultimately shape their communicative experiences. It was therefore
argued that provision of sanitary towels is not sufficient in addressing issues related to
menstruation among adolescent girls. To assist the girls manage menstruation
effectively, there is also need to create a supportive environment by working with the
communities to de-stigmatize menstruation and to sensitize teachers, parents and males
about the need to offer support to girls undergoing menstruation, as well as giving a
voice to the girls to speak out their concerns.