Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Supervisor

Howe, David

2nd Supervisor

Silva, Carla

Co-Supervisor

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to uncover, describe and examine period poverty among unhoused menstruators accessing an urban shelter in Southern Ontario. Situated in a postmodern feminist lens and explored through thematic analysis, I employ participant observations and semi-structured interviews with shelter residents (n=13) and shelter staff (n=3) to conduct an exploratory case study at Dahlia Women and Family Shelter. The study findings suggest that menstruators at Dahlia experience period poverty and undergo significant challenges to their menstrual hygiene management. Menstrual perceptions were also found to vary based on the menstrual education that menstruators received and the unique socio-cultural context under which they received them. By shedding light onto the socio-cultural dynamics of period poverty and menstrual perceptions, this study endeavours to offer practical recommendations that, when implemented in shelters across Southern Ontario, may work to reduce instances of period poverty and negative menstrual perceptions among unhoused menstruators.

Summary for Lay Audience

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of unhoused menstruators who access a shelter in an urban center in Southern Ontario. A menstruator is defined as someone who is able to menstruate. Period poverty, characterized by a menstruator’s inability to support their own menstrual hygiene practices, is a pressing issue as many low-income and unhoused menstruators cannot afford to purchase period products (e.g., pads and tampons) or access adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Many unhoused menstruators thus rely on shelters for their menstrual hygiene management, among other necessities. This reliance, however, becomes an issue when shelters are not aware of the unique socio-cultural circumstances that inform a menstruator’s menstrual perceptions which, in turn, may result in the inadequate provision of menstrual services and thereby compound instances of period poverty and stigma among menstruators.

Situated in a postmodern feminist lens and explored through thematic analysis, I employ participant observations and semi-structured interviews with shelter residents (n=13) and shelter staff (n=3) to conduct an exploratory case study at Dahlia Women and Family Shelter. The study findings suggest that menstruators at Dahlia experience period poverty and undergo significant challenges to their menstrual hygiene management. Menstrual perceptions were also found to vary based on the menstrual education that menstruators received and the unique socio-cultural influences under which they were taught. By shedding light onto the socio-cultural dynamics of period poverty and menstrual perceptions, this study endeavours to create practical recommendations that, when implemented in shelters across Southern Ontario, may work to reduce instances of period poverty and negative menstrual perceptions among unhoused menstruators.

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