Kenya Research — Akinyi

Malawi 2024 — 152 women & men interviewed

Locations: Mzuzu, Zakuma, Lilongwe.

A group of smiling women and children holding small clear plastic bags with colorful beads inside, gathered in a room with a beige, slightly worn wall.

79.4% of women reported undergoing a full seven-day isolation period following menarche

"You have to stay in a house for 7 days alone during your first menstruation. On day 7 you come out but you cannot cook for one month. You cannot talk to a man or you will not have another period"

Three women sitting on the floor in a room with a rough, damaged wall. One woman in an orange shirt and patterned skirt is talking and gesturing with her hand. The other women are listening, one in a gray shirt with a scarf, and the other in a red shirt and patterned skirt.

When asked if women have ever had to skip school or work due to menstruating, 49.7% said “yes” and an additional 4.2% said “sometimes”

“If I only have cloth, I can’t go”