Menstruation As a Justice Issue: A Feminist Lens on Culture, Dignity, and Development in Rural Zimbabwe

Abstract

Menstruation has long been confined to the margins of public discourse, treated as a biological function rather than a social and justice concern. Yet, emerging feminist and decolonial public health scholarship demands a reframing: that menstrual health is central to human dignity, equality, and development. Drawing from community-based research conducted in rural Zimbabwe, this opinion article argues that menstrual justice requires going beyond the distribution of products and facilities. It demands confronting the social, cultural, and religious architectures that regulate female bodies, silence young women, and reproduce gender hierarchies. Grounded in the PEN 3 cultural model and feminist praxis, the paper calls for a reimagined approach to menstrual health that locates culture as both a site of oppression and liberation. It contends that achieving menstrual equity in Africa will depend not on importing Western hygiene solutions, but on centering local epistemologies, feminist dialogue, and community led innovation.