Article: Understanding purchase intention of menstrual products among rural Indian women: periods are normal - period! Journal: International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management (IJICBM) 2024 Vol.32 No.1 pp.59 - 79 Abstract: Menstruation is as natural as breathing but the commencement of this biological process for a young girl anywhere in the world marks a long journey of discomfort mostly in silence. The myths and taboos surrounding this topic especially in a developing country like India prevent the market penetration of feminine hygiene products specifically those related to menstruation. The situation is worse in rural India due to the lack of resources and the lower levels of literacy and thereby reduced awareness of good menstrual practices. This study aims to use the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to understand the purchase intentions of rural women towards menstrual products. Data collected through purposive sampling on psychographic and demographic variables was analysed revealing that consumer awareness, consumer attitude and the social influence greatly influences purchase intentions of such feminine hygiene products. Age and education were also seen to positively influence purchase intention with younger educated girls having and expressing more choices. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Understanding purchase intention of menstrual products among rural Indian women: periods are normal - period!

Authors: Jeanne Poulose; Vinod Sharma; M. Dileep Kumar; Sanjib Bhattacharjee

Addresses: School of Business and Management, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Delhi NCR, India ' Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India ' Faculty of Management Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria ' School of Management, Presidency University, Bengaluru, India

Abstract: Menstruation is as natural as breathing but the commencement of this biological process for a young girl anywhere in the world marks a long journey of discomfort mostly in silence. The myths and taboos surrounding this topic especially in a developing country like India prevent the market penetration of feminine hygiene products specifically those related to menstruation. The situation is worse in rural India due to the lack of resources and the lower levels of literacy and thereby reduced awareness of good menstrual practices. This study aims to use the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to understand the purchase intentions of rural women towards menstrual products. Data collected through purposive sampling on psychographic and demographic variables was analysed revealing that consumer awareness, consumer attitude and the social influence greatly influences purchase intentions of such feminine hygiene products. Age and education were also seen to positively influence purchase intention with younger educated girls having and expressing more choices.

Keywords: feminine hygiene products; social concern; consumer buying behaviour; purchase intentions; rural women in India; theory of planned behaviour; TPB.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2024.138996

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2024 Vol.32 No.1, pp.59 - 79

Received: 11 May 2022
Accepted: 27 Aug 2022
Published online: 07 Jun 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article

Title: Understanding purchase intention of menstrual products among rural Indian women: periods are normal - period!

Keep up-to-date