Menstrual Poverty and Its Impact on Girls’ Education and Empowerment

Abstract

Menstrual poverty has emerged as a significant public health, social, and gender equality challenge that affects the health, education, and empowerment of adolescent girls and women worldwide. Despite menstruation being a natural biological process, millions of girls continue to experience barriers due to limited access to affordable menstrual products, inadequate sanitation facilities, insufficient menstrual health knowledge, and persistent social stigma. This review aims to examine the multidimensional nature of menstrual poverty and its influence on girls’ educational participation and women’s empowerment. A systematic literature review approach was adopted by analyzing peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2025 from major academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The review highlights that menstrual poverty negatively affects school attendance, academic performance, psychological well-being, and social participation by creating barriers to safe and dignified menstrual management. Economic constraints, cultural restrictions, limited menstrual education, and poor WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure were identified as major determinants of menstrual poverty. The findings further indicate that menstrual-related challenges reduce confidence, restrict decision-making abilities, and limit long-term educational and economic opportunities for women. Sustainable solutions require integrated approaches involving menstrual health education, affordable and environmentally friendly menstrual products, improved sanitation facilities, community awareness, and supportive policy interventions. Addressing menstrual poverty is essential not only for improving menstrual health outcomes but also for achieving gender equality, educational equity, and sustainable empowerment of girls and women.