Abstract:

This thesis deals with the sustainability of menstruation management. Lifestyles in rural India<br>are changing. Three changes in menstrual management practices that we have observed in our practice are relevant to this thesis, the increased use of underwear among girls and women, increased use of Time Piece (TP), and the use of disposable sanitary napkins (DSNs). These changes do not necessarily align with recommended “best menstrual management practices” and are unsustainable. Menstrual management practices impact health, economics, cultural aspects, social and environmental factors, while creating multiple challenges for stakeholders such as rural menstruators, programme implementers, policy planners and others. Hence there are many dimensions that need consideration to make menstruation management into a sustainable process.

​The framework for the study was done in three distinct categories: the devices or products used, practices around management and spaces/facilities/ infrastructure to manage menstruation. All three categories are inter – connected and interdependent. Four areas of enquiry formed the core of this thesis. (a) Sustainability (b) Social Change (c) Participatory Social design (d) Action research. We explored the research questions through experiments, cross over trials, studies and personal communication with stakeholders, while considering three products, namely TP, DSNs and Uger.

This thesis proposes two tools for sustainable menstruation management for rural communities. The first tool called PASS is an assessment tool that can be used to score and compare systems for sustainable menstruation management. The second tool, Uger pads, is a tool for managing menstrual discharge in a sustainable way. This thesis, by proposing these two tools, lays out multiple possibilities for future sustainable interventions for menstruatio management.