While in primary school, I learnt about late signs of puberty in girls, majorly menarche in standard seven. I had no clue what I was learning because it was intended for examination purposes. Furthermore, there was inadequate guidance on such topics because it was believed to be a ‘woman thing’, and an out of the topic discussion for men. I could sit next to a girl in class for several months without noticing she was on her period. This happened because I lacked comprehensive sexuality education key for noticing physical and psychological changes that take place in adolescent girls.
Menstrual hygiene challenges are rooted in gender inequality, whereby there are unequal power relations between men and women, making women invisible during critical decisions making. People assume men and boys have no role in menstrual hygiene management. Since time immemorial, they have been excluded from menstrual hygiene management interventions. There is a need for integrating comprehensive sexuality education in school health education programs to break the stigma that menstruation is a ‘woman’s thing’.
Discovering Male Roles
In primary school, girls purported to be menstruating used to tie sweaters across their waits. Boys formed a habit of teasing them, not knowing what they underwent. With age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, men and boys will find themselves better sensitised towards women and girls on period.
In most societies, it’s still common that men are the key decision-makers and breadwinners. Even with such patriarchal power, I have never witnessed my father sit my sisters and educate them on menstrual hygiene. Men living with disabilities and those from marginalised areas should be given age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education.
“I don’t even know how to use sanitary pads, how will I teach my children?” says Omollo, a Kenyan parent. With proper knowledge, parents, especially fathers, will be able to identify early and late signs of puberty in their daughters, especially the onset of menstruation; around two years following puberty.
Significant barriers to high-quality menstrual hygiene management persist in Kenya. Formative research shows that only 50% of girls say they openly discuss menstruation with parents. Surprisingly, only 12% of girls in Kenya are comfortable receiving menstruation information from their mothers. If the Kenyan government could commit to implementing the 2013 signed declaration in which it committed to scaling rights-based sexuality education beginning in primary schools, then the high need for adolescent education would be met.
While there has been significant progress in developing comprehensive approaches to menstrual hygiene management, the essential role of men in supporting the same has been lacking in Kenya. Involvement of men in adolescence education assists them in realising the importance of menstrual hygiene management as well as issues of women’s self-esteem and reproductive health.
Men should know the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls. They should fully understand the needs of women and girls during periods. The accessibility of sanitary products should be their priority. I wholeheartedly welcome the idea of the approved Kenyan National Menstrual Hygiene Management Policy and suggest that men be put to task in menstrual hygiene management.
Comprehensive Sexual Education Is The Need
A study conducted in Uttar Pradesh showed that only 22% of men knew at which point in the menstrual cycle, a woman was more likely to conceive. This is a mirage of the current situation in Kenya. Majority of men are not aware of the normal physiology of menstruation. During a conversation with Steve Luoh, a resident of Homabay County, he says, “I don’t even understand the whole of menstrual cycle thing because none of my male friends can enlighten me on it.”
For effective menstrual hygiene management, it is essential to orient male parents and teachers on comprehensive sexuality education. Providing a period friendly environment at homes and in schools is the only remedy to restoring women and girls’ self-esteem and dignity and reducing shame and embarrassment associated with menarche and menopause.
Okoth Paul Okoth the Kenyan Regional Ambassador to Tunza Eco-generation. He is a part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program and an intern with Youth Cafe. Find him on LinkedIn and Twitter