ABSTRACT

Communication about menstrual health continues to be influenced by institutional and social practices which deem it to be unclean and impure. In a country such as India, several customs and traditions reinforce secrecy and shame about menstruation. As such, scholars advocate the need to generate knowledge that can open opportunities to converse on the topic of menstruation and understand issues related to bodily changes. Using a culture-centered approach, this study examined how college-going adult women from two cities in Northern India made sense of menstrual health. Data collection included 20 focus groups with 180 college-going women and interviews with 16 female family members. Participants discussed communication patterns surrounding menstrual health and how they uphold, challenge, and change social practices. Specifically, participants reflected on how they were communicated to about their menstrual health with underpinnings of secrecy and shame and how the influence of current opportunities for openness encourage them to anticipate positive change. Theoretical and practical implications for studying communication around menstruation in diverse cultural contexts are discussed.

摘要

关于月经健康的交流继续受到认为月经不洁和不纯的制度和社会习俗的影响。在印度这样的国家，一些习俗和传统加强了对月经的保密和羞辱。因此，学者们提倡需要产生知识，以便有机会就月经话题进行对话并了解与身体变化相关的问题。本研究采用以文化为中心的方法，调查了来自印度北部两个城市的即将上大学的成年女性如何理解月经健康。数据收集包括 20 个焦点小组，包括 180 名即将上大学的女性，以及与 16 名女性家庭成员的访谈。参与者讨论了围绕月经健康的沟通模式，以及他们如何坚持、挑战和改变社会实践。具体来说，参与者反思了他们是如何在保密和羞耻的基础上与他们沟通月经健康的，以及当前开放机会的影响如何鼓励他们期待积极的变化。讨论了在不同文化背景下研究月经交流的理论和实践意义。