Menstrual management is a pervasive issue for women globally, and it becomes critical in times of crisis. During these times of crisis and disaster, humanitarian response seeks to provide relief of suffering by meeting essential needs, in a comprehensive and predictable manner. Yet the provision of menstrual management remains largely ad hoc. Through a comprehensive literature review of documents pertaining to menstrual management in emergencies, this paper offers a qualitative analysis of modern humanitarian strategic approaches, to explore the place of menstrual management in emergencies. The core findings are that menstrual management is not fodder for strategy in humanitarian aid, and therefore lacks a ‘home’ in any of the humanitarian approaches to response. It is not fully integrated into either technical strategic implementation, typified by the cluster approach, nor through cultural implementation approaches, typified by gender mainstreaming. This paper also offers some explanations of why such an omnipresent need has, as yet, remained un-championed. This discussion is based on a theoretical framework offered by feminist theory. Supplemented by an understanding of organisations as gendered structures (Acker, 1990), this thesis posits that these cavities in modern humanitarian response are due to the inherent inability and reluctance of the humanitarian system to concern itself with a bodily, female issue such as menstrual management.

Till stor del har historien om menstruation skapat strukturer och normer i samhället som bidragit till stigmatisering kring kvinnors menstruation. Kvinnor behöver hantera sin menstruation i arbetslivet, vilket kan orsaka påfrestningar för arbetsmiljön. Åtgärder som arbetsgivaren delvis kan införa för att främja kvinnors arbetsmiljö är en mensvänlig arbetsplats, som underlättar menshanteringen. En del av en mensvänlig arbetsplats är implementering av fria mensskydd. Om arbetsgivare tar ställning till att erbjuda fria mensskydd på arbetsplatserna kan uppfattningen delvis resultera i att implementeringen anses vara en överdriven rättighet som kvinnor drar fördel av på grund av biologiska skillnader. Samtidigt anses åtgärden som en självklar rättighet för att underlätta menshanteringen på arbetsplatsen. Rättigheterna skulle vidare kunna vara ändamål för bildandet av ett framtida ramverk inom lagstiftningen. Studien har undersökt arbetsgivarens motiv till skapandet av en mensvänligare arbetsplats, utifrån en institutionell teori. Vidare har studien analyserat skapandet baserat på feministisk teori. Åtta kvalitativa intervjustudier genomfördes, intervjuerna resulterade i material som sedan analyserades för att vidare kopplas samman med den teoretiska referensramen, vilket har omfattats av institutionell-, och feministisk teori samt ett arbetsmiljöperspektiv. Reaktionerna från arbetsgivarna kring studiens frågeställning: Vilka motiv ligger till grund för arbetsgivarens införande av en mensvänlig arbetsplats?, har varit tudelade men majoriteten visade ett motiv utifrån den institutionella teorin. / Largely, the history of menstruation has created structures and norms in society that have contributed to stigma around women's menstruation. Women need to manage their menstruation in working life, which can cause strain on the work environment. Measures that the employer can partly introduce to promote women's work environment is a menstrual-friendly workplace, which facilitates menstrual management. Part of a period-friendly workplace is the implementation of free menstrual protection. If employers decide to offer free menstrual protection in the workplace, the perception may partly result in the implementation being considered an exaggerated right that women take advantage of due to biological differences. At the same time, the measure is considered a self-evident right to facilitate menstrual management in the workplace. The rights could also serve as a purpose for the formation of a future framework within the legislation. The study has investigated the employer's motives for creating a more menstrual-friendly workplace, based on an institutional theory. Furthermore, the study has analyzed the creation based on feminist theory. Eight qualitative interview studies were conducted, the interviews resulted in material that was then analyzed to be further connected with the theoretical frame of reference, which has been covered by institutional and feminist theory as well as a work environment perspective. The reactions from the employers regarding the study's question: What motives are the basis for the employer's introduction of a menstrual-friendly workplace?, have been divided, but the majority showed a motive based on the institutional theory.