Exploring consumer vulnerability in the consumption of menstrual products: Insights from a developing country

Abstract

Consumer experiences in the consumption of menstrual products and the factors that underpin consumer vulnerability in the consumption process have largely been overlooked in marketing research. This research addresses this gap by examining consumer experiences of vulnerability in the consumption of menstrual products in a developing country context. Data from in-depth interviews and netnography reveals women’s embodied experiences of vulnerability, with structural barriers, such as regulatory gaps and exclusionary marketing practices adversely affecting the women’s physical and emotional well-being. Contributions to consumer vulnerability literature and implications for health marketing and policy are discussed.

Keywords:

• Consumer vulnerability
• embodied vulnerability
• intersectionality
• marketplace exclusion
• menstrual health
• menstrual products
• stigma
• women’s health

Ethical approval

Data collection of interview data in Kenya was approved by the University of Wyoming Institutional Review Board. Interview data that was collected in Kenya was also subject to a research clearance process by Kenya’s National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation. The Commission approved the research and issued a research permit. Informed consent, in written and verbal form, was obtained from the interview respondents in this research.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection of interview data in Kenya was supported by the University of Wyoming Sustainable Business Practices Fund.