The barriers to education associated with menstruation vary from country to country and within countries. We report on a cross-sectional survey conducted in diverse schools in 2 districts of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Using multi-stage sampling (stratified random sampling of schools, and purposive sampling of Grade 11 female-identifiedii learners), we accessed 1,035 respondents with an average age of 17.2 years. Respondents completed a questionnaire developed from previous questionnaires and our readings of the literature. We report here on results pertaining to the social and structural barriers related to menstruation. Just over one fifth of young womeniii across the whole sample reported missing an average of 1.8 days of school per menstrual cycle, while a significant minority reported restrictions related to sporting and classroom activities. Results show, contrary to expectations, that young women attending under-resourced schools report missing fewer days than young women attending resourced schools, despite young women in under-resourced schools experiencing inadequate sanitation facilities and feeling unsafe using these facilities. This research indicates the importance of recognising social as well as structural features when considering the gendered barriers to education that menstruation may represent. Keywords: barriers; education; gender; menses; menstruation; schooling

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东开普省不同学校与月经有关的社会和结构障碍

与月经相关的教育障碍因国家而异，也因国家而异。我们报告了在南非东开普省 2 个地区的不同学校进行的横断面调查。使用多阶段抽样（学校的分层随机抽样，以及 11 年级女性身份学习者的有目的的抽样），我们访问了 1,035 名平均年龄为 17.2 岁的受访者。受访者完成了根据以前的问卷和我们对文献的阅读而开发的问卷。我们在此报告与月经相关的社会和结构障碍有关的结果。整个样本中略超过五分之一的年轻女性iii报告说每个月经周期平均缺课 1.8 天，而相当多的少数人报告说，与体育和课堂活动有关的限制。结果与预期相反，尽管资源贫乏学校的年轻女性卫生设施不足并且使用这些设施感到不安全，但与预期相反，在资源匮乏学校就读的年轻女性报告的缺勤天数比在资源匮乏学校的年轻女性少。这项研究表明，在考虑月经可能代表的性别教育障碍时，认识到社会和结构特征的重要性。关键词：障碍；教育; 性别; 月经；经期; 上学 尽管在资源不足的学校里，年轻女性的卫生设施不足，并且使用这些设施感到不安全。这项研究表明，在考虑月经可能代表的性别教育障碍时，认识到社会和结构特征的重要性。关键词：障碍；教育; 性别; 月经；经期; 上学 尽管在资源不足的学校里，年轻女性的卫生设施不足，并且使用这些设施感到不安全。这项研究表明，在考虑月经可能代表的性别教育障碍时，认识到社会和结构特征的重要性。关键词：障碍；教育; 性别; 月经；经期; 上学