Making the Case for a Female-Friendly Toilet

Schmitt, Margaret L.; Clatworthy, David; Ogello, Tom; Sommer, Marni

doi:10.3390/w10091193

Cited by 47 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Infrastructural services that provide waste disposal and/or privacy-including water supply, sanitation and bathroom facilities, and solid waste collection-all play into women's experiences and practices of menstruation [13]. However, as Sommer et al [14] and others have argued, this infrastructure must reflect local norms and preferences around menstruation, rather than being merely replicated in different contexts [14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power, danger, and secrecy—A socio-cultural examination of menstrual waste management in urban Malawi

et al. 2020

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Menstrual blood is not just a physical substance; it is laden with symbolism and often powerfully stigmatised. It is important to understand local perceptions and attitudes towards menstrual blood, as well as the preferred practices of menstruating women, in order to design appropriate sanitation and solid waste systems to support menstruation. Failure to take account of socio-cultural factors can jeopardise the effectiveness of such infrastructure. This study, conducted in Blantyre, Malawi, is a qualitative socio-cultural examination of how women manage and view menstruation. Thirty nine interviews, conducted with individuals and with small groups of friends, were carried out with thirty one women using pit latrines, flush toilets, and urine-diverting dry toilets in early 2019. Menstruation in Blantyre was found to be shrouded in secrecy because it was viewed as 'dirty', and therefore remained concealed. There was widespread anxiety about menstrual blood being used in ufiti (witchcraft), which affected how women used and disposed of their menstrual absorbents. At the same time, menstrual blood was also viewed as a powerful healing substance with uses in traditional medicine. The type of infrastructure required by women to support their menstruation depended on the type of menstrual absorbent used. Those using reusable cloth generally preferred a private bathroom with discreet drainage, whilst those using disposable pads needed a discreet and convenient disposal system. Increased preference for disposable pads over reusable cloth (particularly for younger women in education or employment) suggested that menstrual waste profiles of urban areas may be changing. Understanding these changing needs will be crucial for planning effective, sustainable waste disposal and sanitation infrastructure.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power, danger, and secrecy—A socio-cultural examination of menstrual waste management in urban Malawi

et al. 2020

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“…menstrual materials, improved menstrual knowledge, supportive infrastructure such as girl and woman friendly toilets and addressing broader sociocultural contributors such as menstrual stigma and social support (Schmitt et al 2018;Caruso et al 2013;UNICEF 2019;Hennegan et al 2019). Despite the proliferation of menstrual health programmes and policies to address these needs, there remains limited research examining their effects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How do women and girls experience menstrual health interventions in low- and middle-income countries? Insights from a systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis

Shannon

Melendez‐Torres

Hennegan

2020

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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Increasing recognition of the difficulties women and adolescent girls face during menstruation has the prompted rapid implementation of menstrual health programmes and policies. Yet, there remains limited understanding of the influence of these interventions on individuals' menstrual experiences. We systematically reviewed and synthesised qualitative studies of participant experiences of menstrual health interventions. Included studies were undertaken in 6 countries (India, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa) and involved over 900 participants. Interventions focused on menstrual product or education provision. Only 6 of the 12 included studies were rated as high or medium trustworthiness. Exposure to new menstrual products led to changes in women's and girls' expectations of what a menstrual material should offer, with recipients highly valuing reduced fears of leakage and improved freedom of movement. After learning how to use new products or receiving educational materials, women and girls reported feeling more empowered and aware of the physiological process of menstruation, and in some cases wanted to share this knowledge with others in their communities. For each intervention, the process of introduction, trial and error, and acceptance of the new technologies or information was influenced by the sociocultural environment including parents, peers and teachers.

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“…Similarly, sanitation habits are diverse across populations. These interactions with the sanitation system differ by individual, dependent on factors such as beliefs, religion, wealth, the costs of available facilities, language spoken, and gender with potential needs for female-friendly toilets [11]. For example, select religions follow specific cleansing rituals (e.g., in rural Benin [12]).…”

Section: The Water and Sanitation Services Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

Legitimization of the Inclusion of Cultural Practices in the Planning of Water and Sanitation Services for Displaced Persons

Faure

Faust

Kaminsky

2019

Water

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During large and rapid influxes of displaced persons, hosting communities may face challenges in accommodating incoming populations. This study seeks to assess the institutional response to international displacement in developed urban contexts through exploring how stakeholders (de)legitimized (i.e., either withheld or attributed legitimacy to) the inclusion of cultural practices in the planning of water and sanitation for displaced persons. This study is enabled by 28 semi-structured interviews of individuals involved in the accommodation of displaced persons in Germany conducted in 2016. The interview content was qualitatively analyzed to identify the types of decisions made, legitimacy types used to (de)legitimize those decisions, and information used to assess cultural practices. Results indicate that the institutional response to international displacement was most commonly reactive rather than proactive. However, the interviewees demonstrated a willingness to adapt, primarily using their experiences (comprehensibility legitimacy) and moral considerations (procedural legitimacy). Recommendations to stakeholders arising from this study include: (1) improve access to information about displaced persons’ practices and needs in water and sanitation, (2) collect more information by communicating with displaced persons, (3) promote collaborations between involved organizations, (4) monitor organizational changes during the response, and (5) enhance discussions about integration through the built environment.

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Making the Case for a Female-Friendly Toilet

Cited by 47 publications

References 39 publications

Power, danger, and secrecy—A socio-cultural examination of menstrual waste management in urban Malawi

Power, danger, and secrecy—A socio-cultural examination of menstrual waste management in urban Malawi

How do women and girls experience menstrual health interventions in low- and middle-income countries? Insights from a systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis

Legitimization of the Inclusion of Cultural Practices in the Planning of Water and Sanitation Services for Displaced Persons

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