In cultures where periods are a huge social taboo, it’s actually the men who end up doing most of the shopping for menstrual products.
SSRN · March 18, 2026 · 6327959
The Takeaway
We typically assume that in highly traditional societies, menstruation is managed in total secrecy by women. This research shows that because men have greater freedom of movement in public, they are actually the 'secret shoppers' for their families, meaning they are far more involved in menstrual logistics than cultural norms suggest.
From the abstract
Menstruation is a common biological process that affects women at work, yet in many LMICs it is expected to be managed in private and is rarely considered when organizations address workers' needs. This paper studies a large-scale menstrual awareness campaign in a Bangladeshi garment factory, where short audio messages about menstruation were broadcast daily over factory loudspeakers and heard by both women and men. Using before-after survey data from a panel of workers, we show that men are alr