Menstruation and Society in South Africa: A Desktop Analysis.

Global research on menstruation has, in recent years intensified interventions aimed at liberating conversations about menstruation out of obscurity and paving way for the achievement of menstrual equity in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) especially. This field of study has informed key policy decisions globally, it has ramped up advocacy campaigns and interventions and has also shaped new social norms and narratives about menstruation. However, unlike research conducted in other parts of the Global South, qualitative research in South Africa has been somewhat hesitant in providing detailed, empirical, transdisciplinary and contextually nuanced commentary about the socio-cultural contexts within which individuals experience and navigate menstruation locally. As such, much of this work has followed the global trend of focus on the affinity between menstruation and schooling among adolescents and while this has underscored seminal interventions, policy reform and advocacy, it has also created significant blind spots in reporting on the broader societal landscape of menstrual experiences for individuals beyond the schooling environment. This paper traces social research conducted in South Africa and describes how experiences of menstruation are shaped by different aspects of individuals' social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]