Research

WORKING PAPERS

[Last updated March-2024]


This paper examines whether access to modern menstrual products promotes female school participation. I evaluate a state-level free sanitary napkin distribution program in India using a novel dataset of ten years of daily administrative records from single sex public schools in Delhi. I follow a difference-in-differences approach and estimate a two-way fixed effects specification for each grade with boys as a control group for girls. I find positive and significant impact on daily attendance for girls in grades 6-9, a time when they are most likely to experience their first menstrual period. An improvement in attendance at pubertal grades is also followed by relatively better academic performance for girls in an important national examination at a later stage. The key mechanism of impact is likely to be access to a previously unaffordable or inaccessible input rather than a change in social norms or health capital.




[Last updated November-2022]


Motivated by the limited data on the incidence and extent of menstrual absenteeism amongst schoolgirls, this paper seeks to quantify the relative importance of the phenomenon. I collect information on days of school absence by reason over the last academic year through a telephone survey with adolescent girls in public schools in the Indian state of Delhi. These schools have a napkin distribution program in place for over a decade and access to free menstrual products is likely to lower menstrual absenteeism, in general. I find that while the major causes of absenteeism are gender-neutral, periods are amongst the top three. For the full sample, menstrual absenteeism accounts for just under a day in the last year for the typical girl. However, for the 24% girls reporting such leave, it is the top reason for absenteeism and amounts to 4 days on average. Psychological factors such as stress at school during periods and physiological factors such as severe menstrual pain are associated with higher menstrual absenteeism. On the other hand, information about periods through communication with one's mother or at school and better access to menstrual products as measured by higher daily usage are mitigating factors. These results suggest a need for encouraging conversation around periods, improving related norms and ensuring access to appropriate products to support girls' school participation. 



WORK IN PROGRESS