The Objective
OnePoll were commissioned by PGOne on behalf of their client Always, to conduct research aimed at better understanding the stigma surrounding menstruation and periods. They were particularly interested in exploring the stigma and opinions of those involved in the education and learning phase of this biological element of life, including associated developments.
The Research
The research team worked with PGOne and Always to identify the demographics required to meet this objective. We conducted online research with 500 teachers of 8 to14 year old’s, who are responsible for teaching children about puberty, menstruation and sex education, along with 1,000 parents of 8 to 16 year old’s.
Two questionnaire’s were developed the first being solely completed by teachers and the second separated into two parts, one for parents to complete and the other for children to complete.
47% of the teachers we surveyed said they would rather not teach lessons on puberty, periods or sex education. 85% say they find it fairly or very challenging to to educate students on puberty. The top challenges that teachers say they face are student embarrassment or discomfort (42%), navigating cultural or religious sensitivities (27%) and a lack of provision for educating boys or those who will not experience periods (27%). 37% also say they have experienced resistance or opposition from parents regarding teaching about menstruation and puberty. 82% believe that teachers should receive additional training or professional development to better address period education and puberty changes.
While 69% of parents first discussed puberty, sex and period topics by the time their child was 10 years old, 48% agreed that ‘I want to inform my child about important things about puberty and periods, but I find the topic uncomfortable to discuss’. 21% said that they had deliberately avoided answering questions from their children about topics such as puberty, sex and periods in the hope that they would learn from the web, friends or a school teacher. 58% said they had ensured their children’s school bag contained period products to ensure they were prepared when the time came.
Of the children who had experienced lessons on puberty, menstruation and sex at school, 35% said they found them embarrassing, 25% said they were uncomfortable and 17% admitted they dreaded being asked a question. 81% of children said that they though society should be more supportive of people who have periods.
The Result
For this project, OnePoll delivered excel data tables, alongside topline insights from each demographic. The results were used to generate national news stories.
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