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  3. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
  4. January 2011
  5. Menstruation, Sanitary Products, and School Attendance: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation

Menstruation, Sanitary Products, and School Attendance: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation

  • Emily Oster
  • Rebecca Thornton
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 3, no. 1, January 2011
(pp. 91-100)
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Abstract

Policy-makers have cited menstruation and lack of sanitary products as barriers to girls' schooling. We evaluate these claims using a randomized evaluation of sanitary products provision to girls in Nepal. We report two findings. First, menstruation has a very small impact on school attendance. We estimate that girls miss a total of 0.4 days in a 180 day school year. Second, improved sanitary technology has no effect on reducing this (small) gap. Girls who randomly received sanitary products were no less likely to miss school during their period. We can reject (at the 1 percent level) the claim that better menstruation products close the attendance gap. (JEL I21, J13, J16, O12)

Citation

Oster, Emily, and Rebecca Thornton. 2011. "Menstruation, Sanitary Products, and School Attendance: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3 (1): 91-100. DOI: 10.1257/app.3.1.91

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • I21 Analysis of Education
  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • O12 Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
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