How does Menstruation Impact Women's Economic Participation and Livelihoods in Uganda?

研究将试图回答以下问题：女性是如何经历月经的？月经对女性的经济保障有什么影响？在非洲城市的信息化和即兴创作中，月经是如何配置的？妇女在获得性和生殖保健时面临哪些挑战？妇女采取什么战略和应对机制来管理她们的月经，以避免在工作时被污名化？可以做些什么来改善这种情况？这项研究将重点放在安科尔地区的姆巴拉拉，因为在2016年乌干达人口健康调查(UDHS)中，85.4%的受访妇女有工作，其中超过75%的妇女在销售、服务、手工艺/贸易和农业行业工作(乌干达统计局，2016：49-70)。这项研究将利用几种不同的研究方法，包括1)对乌干达月经和妇女参与劳动经济的文献进行系统审查；2)分析乌干达妇女在性健康和生殖健康方面的保健系统和途径以及卫生系统和结构；3)定性的半结构化访谈，以及使用艺术、照片或绘画等参与性方法，与受访者进一步探讨月经的私人问题。将利用有目的的最大变异抽样，对具有不同月经经历的妇女进行30-40次定性的半结构化定性访谈，进一步探讨月经污名如何影响受雇于非正规部门的财务状况。访谈将由一名研究助理以鲁尼科尔当地语言进行，并翻译成英语。我将参加鲁尼科尔的课程，以便在用当地语言进行的采访中更好地观察情况，并与女性进行简单的对话。一些年轻女性也有可能用英语交流，这是她们在学校里就会学到的，也可能是为了获得医疗保健等服务。对于那些对说英语感到自在的人，面试将用英语进行。18岁至49岁的女性将有资格被纳入这项研究项目。之所以选择这个年龄段，是因为我可以分析在整个人生过程中，人们对月经的态度是如何变化的。访谈问题将涉及以下主题：妇女对月经的信念和知识、月经期间的行为和做法、卫生设施和月经保健资源的获得和可获得性，以及工作场所的性别关系和歧视行为。女性在参与这项研究之前将获得同意书，她们的身份将是匿名的。将寻求该大学以及乌干达IRB和UNST的适当伦理批准。数据将使用NVivo进行存储和转录，并使用专题分析进行分析。此外，我将与乌干达子宫内膜异位症护理中心合作，这是一个设在坎帕拉的非政府组织，帮助坎帕拉及周边地区患有这种疾病的妇女和女孩。本研究旨在通过对月经的探索，推进体验论与城市理论的理论融合。这一点很重要，因为在城市背景下，特别是在全球南方，妇女经历月经的方式将根据她们获得资源、就业、文化规范和习俗的不同而有所不同。嵌入体现和城市理论使得人类学、人文地理学、人口学和公共卫生等学科之间的跨学科方法成为可能。通过综合体现和城市理论，这项研究将通过在生计和经济背景下围绕妇女身体的辩论来推动城市和健康地理的发展。它还可以向生殖保健系统以及妇女的性保健和生殖保健的途径和转诊过程提供信息。

Research will seek to answer the following questions: How do women experience menstruation? What impact does menstruation have on women's financial security? How is menstruation configured in the informalisation and improvisation of African cities? What challenges do women face when accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare? What strategies and coping mechanisms do women adopt to manage their menstruation to avoid stigmatisation whilst working and what could be done to improve the situation? The research will focus on Mbarara, based in the Ankole region, as 85.4% of women surveyed in 2016 Ugandan Demographic Health Survey (UDHS) were employed with over 75% of these women working in sales, services, craft/trade, and agricultural industries (Ugandan Bureau of Statistics, 2016:49-70). This research will utilise several different research methods including 1) a systematic review on the literature of menstruation and women's participation in the labour economy in Uganda; 2) an analysis of the health system and pathways for women regarding sexual and reproductive health as well as of the sanitation systems and structures in Uganda, and 3) qualitative semi-structured interviews, and participatory methods such as using art, photos, or drawings to further explore the private issue of menstruation with those interviewed. Purposive maximum variation sampling will be utilised to conduct 30-40 qualitative semi-structured qualitative interviews with women who have diverse experiences of menstruation, exploring further how menstrual stigma impacts their financial wellbeing when employed within the informal sector. Interviews will be conducted in the local language of ruNyankore with a research assistant and translated to English. I will take ruNyankore lessons to make better observations during interviews conducted in the local language and to have simple conversations with women. It is also likely that some young women can communicate in English, which they would have learned at school and to access services such as healthcare. For those who feel comfortable speaking English, interviews will be conducted in English. Women aged 18 to 49 will qualify to be included in this research project. This age group was selected as I can analyse how attitudes towards menstruation vary across the life course. Interview questions will cover themes such as women's beliefs and knowledge regarding menstruation, behaviours and practices whilst menstruating, access to and availability of sanitation and menstrual health resources, and gendered relations and discriminatory action in the workplace. Women will be given a consent form prior to taking part in the study and their identities will be anonymous. Appropriate ethical approval from the university and Ugandan IRB and UNCST will be sought. Data will be stored and transcribed using NVivo and analysed using thematic analysis. In addition, I will partner with Endometriosis Care Centre Uganda, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Kampala, who help women and girls living with the condition in Kampala and surrounding areas. This research aims to advance the theoretical synthesis between embodiment and urban theory through an exploration of menstruation. This is important because the ways in which women experience menstruation in an urban context, particularly one in the Global South, will differ based upon their access to resources, employment, cultural norms, and customs. Embedding embodiment and urban theory enables for an interdisciplinary approach between the disciplines of anthropology, human geography, demography, and public health. By synthesising embodiment and urban theory, this research will advance urban and health geographies by informing debates around women's bodies in the context of livelihoods and the economy. It can also inform reproductive health systems as well as the pathways and referral process for women's sexual and reproductive health care.