Adolescent girls’ communicative experiences in negotiating issues relating to menstruation at an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya

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.