{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T21:20:29Z","timestamp":1791408029689,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]],"date-time":"2026-02-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770595200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]],"date-time":"2026-02-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770595200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Public Health Challenges"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    In low\u2010income settings like Bangladesh, most menstrual hygiene management (MHM) initiatives are still limited to hardware, such as toilets, water, or waste disposal systems, but software aspects such as culture, attitudes, and institutional behaviors are neglected. This qualitative study aimed to analyze how teachers\u2019 perspectives, social constraints, and institutional preparedness influence MHM implementation in schools in flood\u2010prone rural haor regions. Data were collected through in\u2010depth interviews and nonparticipant observations with 52 teachers (22 female, 30 male) in 11 secondary schools. Thematic analysis shows that, although menstruation is biologically recognized, it remains a socially taboo subject in the school environment. Male teachers, in particular, avoid discussing MHM in class due to the\n                    <jats:italic>Shorom\u2013Lojja<\/jats:italic>\n                    (a culturally embedded shame\u2013modesty norm) culture and fear of social stigma. This cultural software reduces the effectiveness of existing hardware in schools, resulting in the creation of a silent infrastructure. Institutional silence, lack of teacher training, and inadequate infrastructure exacerbate this deprivation. The research shows that achieving true menstrual equity requires a two\u2010pronged transformation: on the one hand, improving school hardware, and on the other, changing cultural and institutional software. Providing teachers with social recognition, training, and policy support can make the infrastructure effective. It is important to recognize MHM not only as an individual issue but also as an issue of dignity, education, and public health.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/puh2.70193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T07:41:25Z","timestamp":1770709285000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Hardware Without Software: Teachers\u2019 Cultural Silence and Menstrual Hygiene Management in Rural Bangladeshi Schools"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-9418-2871","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdul","family":"Basit","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Administration Shahjalal University of Science and Technology  Sylhet Bangladesh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(21)00212-7"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/16549716.2021.1920315"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_4_1","volume-title":"Menstrual Hygiene: Gender Inequality, Cultural Taboos and Poverty Can Cause Menstrual Health Needs to Go Unmet","author":"Unicef","year":"2023"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12982\u2010025\u201000663\u2010x"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003428213-15"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14720\/abs.67.2.18725"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0000110"},{"issue":"8","key":"e_1_2_12_9_1","article-title":"Forbidden Conversations: A Comprehensive Exploration of Taboos in Sexual and Reproductive Health","volume":"16","author":"Tohit N. F. M.","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/23293691.2025.2482634"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-15-0614-7_44"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s43621-022-00097-4"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_13_1","volume-title":"WHO Statement on Menstrual Health and Rights","author":"WHO","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_14_1","volume-title":"Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools 2015\u20132023: Special Focus on Menstrual Health","author":"WHO","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-19256-5"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_16_1","article-title":"Cultural Barriers and Periods Poverty: Address Menstrual Health Needs Around the World [MSc Public Health and Social Care, University of Wales Trinity Saint David]","author":"Pillai A. S.","year":"2025","journal-title":"Birmingham"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1206069"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0257333"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fgwh.2022.827365"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_20_1","unstructured":"G.Mulu School Absenteeism During Menstruation and Its Associated Factors Among Female Students at High School In Bacho District Southwest Shoa Zone Oromia Ethiopia Mulu Gutema(AMBO University 2025)."},{"key":"e_1_2_12_21_1","volume-title":"Bangladesh National Hygiene Survey 2018","author":"BBS","year":"2020"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2016-015508"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_23_1","volume-title":"School Girls in Bangladesh Learn That Periods Are Nothing to be Ashamed of no One Should Miss School Because of Their Period, Yet One in Three Girls in Bangladesh do, Every Month","author":"Unicef","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-022-13478-1"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_25_1","volume-title":"Menstrual Health in Bangladesh: From Policy Plans to Practical Solutions","author":"Windle K.","year":"2025"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijdrr.2020.101864"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0021932024000415"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_28_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.18490\/sosars.1196604"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_29_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002803"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14681811.2019.1707651"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0000070"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_32_1","unstructured":"M. S.Clemente. \u201cWe don't Sit and Talk About This: Exploring Menarche and Menstrual Experiences of Primary Teachers in Catalonia and Sweden Stockholm University]\u201d. Sweden https:\/\/su.diva\u2010portal.org\/smash\/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1777375."},{"key":"e_1_2_12_33_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1538447"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_34_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/IJHRH-11-2020-0102"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_35_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2166\/washdev.2023.153"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_36_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/16549716.2021.1955492"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgh-2020-003433"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_38_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-15-0614-7_66"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_39_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12978-025-02041-x"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_40_1","unstructured":"B. K.Mondal M. K.Ali T.Dewan andT.Tasnim \u201cPractices and Effects of Menstrual Hygiene Management in Rural Bangladesh \u201d in40th WEDC International Conference. Loughborough UK(2017) https:\/\/repository.lboro.ac.uk\/articles\/Practices_and_effects_of_menstrual_hygiene_management_in_rural_Bangladesh\/9589331\/1."},{"key":"e_1_2_12_41_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2014.302525"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_42_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/03057925.2013.871399"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_43_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/08862605211062996"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_44_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S174413742000051X"}],"container-title":["Public Health Challenges"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/puh2.70193","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1002\/puh2.70193","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/puh2.70193","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T07:49:50Z","timestamp":1774597790000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/puh2.70193"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]]},"references-count":43,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/puh2.70193"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/puh2.70193","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["2769-2450","2769-2450"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2769-2450","type":"print"},{"value":"2769-2450","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-10-24","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-01-28","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-02-09","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e70193"}}