Abstract
Women’s use of hygienic methods during menstruation has improved in India over the past decade, but there is still a long way to go. At the national level, approximately 22.4% of women do not use hygienic methods during menstruation. There is substantial inequality in using hygienic methods based on factors like rural-urban residence and wealth quintile. State-level variations indicate significant issues in many regions, mainly the northeastern and EAG states like Assam. Variations are even more pronounced when examined at the district level.
Good menstrual hygiene management requires a multifaceted approach, addressing young girls and adult women and sociocultural and behavioral factors. Awareness, access to low-cost sanitary pads, and improved WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities are crucial for enhancing menstrual hygiene in India.
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Notes
- 1.
The original NFHS dataset and the spatial analysis methodology are described in detail in Chap. 1.
- 2.
An analysis based on earlier NFHS-4 data highlights some of statistical correlates of better menstrual hygiene: women’s education and household socioeconomic status, as well as women’s autonomy and exposure to mass media, and urban residence (see Roy et al., 2021).
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to Mr. Gulsan Kumar and Dr. Harihar Sahoo’s for preparing the preliminary maps for the study at a short request, which was instrumental in shaping the chapter.
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Sivakami, M. (2023). Menstrual Hygiene Practices Among Indian Women. In: Guilmoto, C.Z. (eds) Atlas of Gender and Health Inequalities in India. Demographic Transformation and Socio-Economic Development, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47847-5_12
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