Menstrual Management in U.S. Public Schools: A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract

The World Health Organization describes menstruation management as “using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary.” The menstrual equity policy landscape in the United States, specifically pertaining to the needs of students in public schools, has gained considerable traction within the past decade. Since 2017, 16 states in the United States have signed legislation mandating the provision of menstrual products to public school students. This study explored the experiences of students from a public high school in Massachusetts where there is currently no state policy. The research is driven by the following questions: (1) How do students at the high school manage menstruation while at school? (2) How do students describe the impact of menstruation upon their physical and mental health and their participation in school-related activities? To address these questions, this study utilizes qualitative data, including student focus groups and interviews. Both focus groups and interviews were audio recorded with permission and analyzed using AtlasTI software. The researcher noted and incorporated themes and questions in an iterative and emergent manner. In total, three focus groups were conducted; one consisted of a group of five seniors and the following two included 10th-grade students. The researcher also conducted a total of 11 student interviews. This study ultimately finds that a lack of menstrual management support for high school students may be creating and perpetuating a condition in which students experience social, even academic, exclusion.