Cultural Beliefs and Practices of Reproductive Women about Menstruation

Öz

Aim: The aim of this analytical cross-sectional study was to determine cultural beliefs and practices of reproductive women about menstruation. Method: The study sample comprised women following an Instagram account and their relatives. Data were collected with an online questionnaire. Obtained data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. Results: Twenty-six-point-five percent of the women did not talk to males about menstruation and 13,5% did not visit newborns, 79,3% did not read the Koran and 23,7% did not pickle/touch pickles during menstruation. The most frequent menstruation-related practices were least frequently preserved by Generation Z (p<0,05). Conclusion: The findings of the study show that women have some menstrual taboos and that the taboos are least maintained by Generation Z.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• menstruation
• social and cultural practices
• taboos

Cultural Beliefs and Practices of Reproductive Women about Menstruation

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, üreme çağındaki kadınların menstruasyon dönemi ile ilgili kültürel inanç ve uygulamalarını belirlemektir. Yöntem: Analitik-kesitsel tipteki araştırmanın örneklemini, Instagram’da yer alan bir sayfayı takip eden kadınlar ve yakınları oluşturdu. Veriler, soru formu aracılığı ile on-line anket yöntemi kullanılarak toplandı. Elde edilen bulgular tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve ki-kare ile analiz edildi. Bulgular: Araştırmaya katılan kadınların, %26,5’inin adetli olduğunu erkeklerle paylaşmadığı, %13,5’inin adetken bebek görmeye gitmediği, %79,3’ünün adetken Kur’an okunmadığı, %23,7’sinin bu dönemde turşu yapmadığı/el sürmediği belirlendi. Menstrual döneme ait en sık uygulanan davranışların en az Z kuşağı tarafından uygulandığı saptandı (p<0,05). Sonuç: Araştırmanın bulguları, kadınların menstruasyon döneminde uyduğu bir takım sınırlamalar olduğunu ve bu sınırlamaların en az Z kuşağı tarafından uygulandığını göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• menstruasyon
• sosyal ve kültürel uygulamalar
• tabu

Kaynakça

1. Agyekum, K. (2002). Menstruation as a verbal taboo among the akan of Ghana. Journal of Anthropological Research, 58(3), 367–387.
2. Ali, T. S., & Rizvi, S. N. (2010). Menstrual knowledge and practices of female adolescents in urban Karachi, Pakistan. Journal of Adolescence, 33(4), 531–541. doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.05.013
3. Columbia Global Centers. (2015). Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools. 55.
4. Crofts, T. (2014). Menstruation hygiene management for schoolgirls. Loughborough University, WEDC Publications, 20.
5. El-Lassy, R. B., & Abd El-Aziz Madian, A. (2013). No impact of health educational program on menstrual beliefs and practices of adolescent Egyptian girls at secondary technical nursing school. Life Science Journal, 10(2), 335–345.
6. Hennegan, J., Shannon, A. K., Rubli, J., Schwab, K. J., & Melendez-Torres, G. J. (2019). Women’s and girls’ experiences of menstruation in low-and middle-income countries: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis. PLoS Medicine, 16(5),1–40. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002803
7. House, S., Mahon, T., & Cavill, S. (2013). Menstrual hygiene matters: a resource for improving menstrual hygiene around the world. Reproductive Health Matters, 21(41), 257–259. doi.org/10.1016/S0968-8080(13)41712-3
8. Kamaljit, K., Balwinder, A., Gurmeet, K. S., & Neki, N. S. (2012). Social beliefs and practices associated with menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Journal International Medical Sciences Academy, 25(2), 69–70.

9. Kaundal, M., & Thakur, B. (2014). A Dialogue on menstrual taboo. Indian Journal of Community Health, 26(2), 192–195.
10. Kumar, A., & Srivastava, K. (2011). Cultural and social practices regarding menstruation among adolescent girls. Social Work in Public Health, 26(6), 594–604. doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2010.525144
11. Ministry of General Education. (2016). TOOLKIT :Menstrual Hygiene Management. Zambia.
12. Mukherjee, A., Lama, M., Khakurel, U., Jha, A. N., Ajose, F., Acharya, S., … Shrestha, S. (2020). Perception and practices of menstruation restrictions among urban adolescent girls and women in Nepal: A cross-sectional survey. Reproductive Health, 17(1), 1–10. doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-00935-6
13. Raina, D., & Balodi, G. (2014). Menstrual hygiene : knowledge, practise and restrictions amongst girls of Dehradun , Uttarakhand , India. Global Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 3(4), 156–162.
14. Randev, R. (2016). Taboos related to menstruation and menstrual practices as recognition of injustice. Social Sciences International Research Journal, 2(1), 2–4.
15. Sakar, T., Özkan, H., Saraç, M.N., Atabey, K., & Nazbak, M. (2015). Öğrencilerin menstruasyon dönemindeki kültürel davranış ve uygulamaları. Turkish family physician, 6(3), 114–123.
16. Santina, T., Wehbe, N., Ziade, F. M., & Nehme, M. (2013). Assessment of beliefs and practices relating to menstrual hygiene of adolescent girls in Lebanon. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 3(12), 75–88.
17. Shah, V., Nabwera, H. M., Sosseh, F., Jallow, Y., Comma, E., Keita, O., & Torondel, B. (2019). A rite of passage: A mixed methodology study about knowledge, perceptions and practices of menstrual hygiene management in rural Gambia. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1–15. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6599-2
18. Sinop Gedik, A., & Şahin, S. (2017). Determination of the effect on menstruation to hygiene training given to adolescents. Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Health Sciences, 2(2), 66–75. doi.org/10.5336/healthsci.2016-54152
19. Tan, D. A., Haththotuwa, R., & Fraser, I. S. (2017). Cultural aspects and mythologies surrounding menstruation and abnormal uterine bleeding. Best Practice and Research: Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 40, 121–133. doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2016.09.015
20. Taş, H. Y., Demirdöğmez, M., & Küçükoğlu, M. (2017). Geleceğimiz olan z kuşağının çalışma hayatına muhtemel etkileri. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 7(13), 1031–1048. doi.org/10.26466/opus.370345
21. Thakur, H., Aronsson, A., Bansode, S., Lundborg, C. S., Dalvie, S., & Faxelid, E. (2014). Knowledge, practices, and restrictions related to menstruation among young women from low socioeconomic community in Mumbai, India. Frontiers in Public Health, 2(JUL), 1–7. doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00072
22. United Nations Women. (2014). Menstrual Hygiene Management : Behaviour and Practices in the Louga Region, Senegal. London, 52.
23. Varghese, M. M., James, S., Ravichandran, L., Sivaprakasam, E., & Palaniyandi, A. (2015). Religious restrictions and cultural taboos related to menstruation in adolescent girls: A school-based cross-sectional observational study. Indian J Child Health., 2(4), 161–164.
24. Wall, L. L., Belay, S., Bayray, A., Salih, S., & Gabrehiwot, M. (2016). A community-based study of menstrual beliefs in Tigray, Ethiopia. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 135(3), 310–313. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2016.05.015
25. Yagnik, A. (2019). Theorizing a model information pathway to mitigate the menstrual taboo. Health Promotion International, 34(3), 410–419. doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dax089
26. Yagnik, A. S. (2014). Health care for women international reframing menstruation in India : metamorphosis of the menstrual taboo with the changing media coverage reframing menstruation in India : metamorphosis of the menstrual taboo. Health Care for Women International, 35(6), 617–633. doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2013.838246