Abstract
This chapter provides a detailed picture of the “who, what, where and when” of the MHM movement to date. I begin by tracing evolving definitions of MHM and then shift to a landscape analysis that reveals 130+ organizations and social businesses in 38 countries of the Global South. Foci include provision of products, menstrual and puberty education, and to a lesser degree, policy and infrastructure development. Next, I provide a short critical history of MHM’s emergence from the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) development sector beginning quietly and on the margins in the late twentieth century and picking up steam in the mid-late 2000s. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion contrasting MHM in the Global South with menstrual activism in the Global North—two interrelated activist agendas running on parallel tracks.
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Notes
- 1.
I do not have information explaining why the paper omitted Uganda and Zimbabwe.
- 2.
Gray literature refers to materials, including research, typically produced by organizations outside of commercial or academic publishing channels. Research reports, working papers, white papers, and assorted government documents are examples of gray literature sources. They tend to be less accessible than papers published by traditional presses.
- 3.
Corporate social responsibility is defined as “a business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders” (Financial Times n.d.).
- 4.
- 5.
This definition is used by key MHM thought leaders including UNICEF, the United Nations, Menstrual Hygiene Day, and WaterAid. It also appears in a number of peer-reviewed articles, the Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, and on Wikipedia.
- 6.
Definitions of social business, NGO, and Global South are discussed in Appendix A: Methods. I also engage a brief discussion of the imperfect term “Global South” in Appendix B: Notes on Language.
- 7.
In fact, it is hard to gather information from P&G regarding any dimension of their MHM agenda. While arranging my fieldwork in India during April 2014, I made contact with Deepa Vaidyanathan, Head of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for P&G India, and began discussing a visit to see a school program in action. After a long lapse in our email exchange, Vaidyanathan wrote: “Our school education programmes are proprietorial & therefore confidential, hence it would be difficult for you to visit the workshops. Happy to get onto a call if you need any further clarifications.” I replied immediately to set up a call, but received no reply. The trail ran dry.
- 8.
I must point out that “misses with mustaches” does unintentionally, no doubt, trivialize gender nonconforming individuals, such as women who grow noticeable facial hair. This choice of a gimmick reflects the movement’s blind spot to gender fluidity and especially trans inclusion in addressing menstrual health.
- 9.
The fact that an international NGO focused on WASH initiated this event, and through it, has installed itself as a global leader in raising awareness about MHM, is another example of the WASH sector’s grip on MHM.
- 10.
It was re-energized in 2016 as the Swachh Bharat Mission, with the goal to eliminate open defecation throughout the country by October 2019—the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi (see www.swachhbharaturban.in/). Alongside all other development campaigns, India’s efforts meet critique (see, for instance, Cherukupalli 2016).
- 11.
M&E refers to Monitoring and Evaluation.
- 12.
She changed her name to Gellis since the time of this publication.
- 13.
In the interest of transparency. I was the co-chair of this conference and, in that role, developed the conference theme.
- 14.
Interestingly, Tin coined this term, arguing for the uses of tech to enhance women’s lives, at the time that the often sexist culture of technology firms was coming to light. It seems that tech’s potential to meet women’s needs may be more promising than accessing and sustaining tech careers for many women (see Etman 2017).
- 15.
TSS, or toxic shock syndrome, is a rare, life-threatening complication of certain types of bacterial infections (primarily Staphylococcus aureus, or staph). It is most often linked to the use of superabsorbent tampons (www.mayoclinic.org; see also Tierno 2004; Vostral 2011).
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Bobel, C. (2019). Making Menstruation Matter in the Global South: Mapping a Critical History. In: The Managed Body. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89414-0_3
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