Navigating Menstrual Taboos in Rural Ghana: The Subjective Experiences of Adolescent Schoolgirls

Berghahn Journals, United States, New York. 2025. Vol. 18. No. 1. P. 20–37.

Menstrual taboos, despite their varying manifestations across cultures, remain a universal phenomenon that profoundly affects the lives of women and girls worldwide. In this article, I draw on data collected in 2021 as part of an ongoing study in rural Ghana that focuses on girls' experiences of imposed rules, specifically a ban believed to have been enforced by a deity that prohibits them from crossing a sacred river during menstruation. I demonstrate how girls are subject to structural violence and perpetual discrimination because of the widespread belief that menstrual blood renders them impure. The narratives shared by the participants highlight the complex interplay between tradition, social norms, and individual agency in revealing the deep-rooted fears and beliefs that underpin adherence to these cultural prohibitions.

Keywords: education, discrimination, fear, coping, restrictions, Absenteeism, sanitary pads