Exploring Social Work's Engagement with Menstruation

Menstrual health has been described as integral to achieving global health, gender equity and the S​ustainable ​D​evelopment ​G​oal​s (SDGs), with increasing recognition of menstruation as a critical element in achieving social justice outcomes. Social work is a profession concerned with social justice, human rights, and gender equity, but the extent to which the profession has engaged with menstruation as a human rights issue remains unclear.  
This research systematically analysed published literature to examine social work engagement with the topic of menstruation and associated issues related to social justice and human rights, including issues around equity and stigma, hygiene, and access to sanitary products. A systematic and comprehensive literature search was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines for scoping literature reviews.  
This presentation explores findings of this review, which demonstrate that menstrual experience - despite being characterised by injustice - is an under-represented issue in social work discourse. These findings indicate a need for the profession to address this gap through holistic, transformative practice to achieve menstrual justice through the elimination of the stigma of menstruation, the prevention of discrimination, and the enhancement of gender equity. This research highlights opportunities for the profession to consider potential contributions social work could make to not only advance the SDGs but realise professional goals related to social justice, gender equity, and human rights.