Awareness among Rural Women for Sanitary Napkins

Abstract

Menstruation is a natural biological process through which every female has to go through during her life. It is part of reproduction of life. Most of the females menstruate two to seven days every month. Unawareness about menstruation creates the discrimination and misconception among the females mainly during teenage. Taboos, stigma and myths thwart adolescent girls and boys to gain knowledge about menstruation and take it as a positive part of life. 40 % of the world’s population, or 3 billion people, do not have a handwashing facility with water and soap at home. 43 % of schools lacked a handwashing facility with water and soap affecting 818 million school-age children. As per World Bank indicator 65% of population is residing in rural areas of India. National Family Health Survey, India highlights that 41% of women with 10 or more years of schooling and in rural areas it is 33.7%. In India women are playing a vital role in rural economy but their contribution in agriculture and allied services is almost equal but it is unpaid and unaccounted only considered as their support in the family. Still there is gender inequality in rural areas; they have limited access in finance management, decisions related to education and healthcare issues. Most women are unskilled and no control on land and other productive assets of the family. Still traditions dominate in the issues related with women. In the present study awareness and behavioral pattern of rural women during menstruation is assessed in the study area. Structured questionnaire is used to get the response for awareness, availability, preference, purchase behavior of the women in the Bhogwar village of Uttar Pradesh. In the present study descriptive survey research design was applied and target respondents were selected through stratified random sampling. Consciousness among women on menstrual hygiene and uses of sanitary napkins is also explored. It is identified that the price plays a vital role in purchase behavior and maximum women are getting awareness through females of the family and school is major source of free napkins in study area.