Transnational Engagements: From Debasement, Disability, and Disaster to Dignity-Stories of Menstruation Under Challenging Conditions

Abstract

This exchange, our second transnational engagement, is placed against the backdrop of a global increase in attention to both research and advocacy efforts in the menstrual experience, however cognizant of how some voices and bodies remain silent, invisible, and displaced from global efforts The authors argue that these include the experiences of the most vulnerable, who are physically limited in their ability to manage their menstrual health. To demonstrate, this study looks through the lens of women living under three challenging circumstances-women with disabilities, incarcerated women, and women living in a disaster zone-to explore how they understand, manage, and respond to their menstrual needs. The authors show how the double stigma of the women’s condition or context, with that of their menstruating status, exacerbates their vulnerability, creating further boundaries to their health and well-being.