Promoting Gender Equity through Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHHM) Education

There is currently a controversy among educators who endorse single-gender versus co-education classroom environments for the teaching of menstrual health and hygiene management education (MHHM). The current research explores the efficacy of a MHHM programme on youth development in a Maasai community in rural Kenya. In this pre- and post-study design, we found no difference in psychosocial outcomes for hope (agency and pathways) or authenticity (accepting external influence) between single-gender and co-education classes. We found overall gender differences, with boys scoring higher on the Accepting Influence subscale than girls. Similarly, the Hope Agency subscale had a significant gender effect, with boys exhibiting higher scores. All youth improved their recognition and awareness of the pathways toward future goals, suggesting the efficacy of the MHHM (Always Keeping Girls in School) curriculum. We conclude that better outcomes will follow for girls if teachers create empathic environments and a dialogical education style.