Menstrual Norms: Experimental Evidence from Nepal

Last registered on December 11, 2025

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Menstrual Norms: Experimental Evidence from Nepal

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0016939

Initial registration date

November 12, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

November 17, 2025, 7:19 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated

December 11, 2025, 7:36 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Silvia Castro

Affiliation

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Kristina Czura

PI Affiliation

University of Groningen

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PI Name

Alexandra Geis

PI Affiliation

University of Groningen

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Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2025-11-13

End date

2026-12-31

Keywords

Behavior, Gender, Health

Additional Keywords

Behavior, Education, Gender, Health

JEL code(s)

I12, I18, J16, O15

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.

Abstract

This study examines how social norms surrounding menstruation shape adolescents’ social behavior in Nepal. Using lab-in-the-field experiments in secondary schools, we measure harmful social norms and stigma around menstruation. We seek to identify whether these norms are maintained by internal or external factors. Participants make incentivized allocation and judgment decisions under different experimental conditions. The study aims to provide causal evidence on the social mechanisms—such as guilt and shame—that sustain gendered stigma and restrictive practices.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Castro, Silvia, Kristina Czura and Alexandra Geis. 2025. "Menstrual Norms: Experimental Evidence from Nepal." AEA RCT Registry. December 11. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16939-1.1

Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention as in "Stigma and Discrimination: Field Evidence from a Menstrual Awareness Program in Nepal", RCT ID AEARCTR-0014814

The intervention consists of menstrual health awareness sessions aimed at educating students about menstrual hygiene, common myths, and the social taboos surrounding menstruation. Delivered by the local organization NIDISI, the sessions will provide culturally relevant, accurate information to students.

Intervention Start Date

2025-11-13

Intervention End Date

2025-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Donation/choice outcome per treatment: indicator and categorical for donation choice. Categorical across the three choices (i) keep the full amount for own consumption, (ii) keep half and donate half to a charity that supports maintaining traditional menstrual restrictions, or (iii) keep half and donate half to a charity that supports ending discriminatory menstrual restrictions. Binary variables for i) donation to menstrual charity, ii) donating for traditional charity, and iii) own consumption.

Comparison across treatments for lab in the field experiment, comparion across treatments in related RCT (awareness campaigns - girls, awareness campaign - boys & girls, control).

Punishment behavior: extensive (binary) and intensive margin.

Perceived norms: 4-point appropriateness rating in the norm-elicitation task for menstruation-related behaviors (paid-for modal match).

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

1. Expectations about punishment: beliefs about punishment by peers/elders for each action, exogenous variation of gender (male/female) punisher.
2. Internal consistency/comprehension (test questions on the basic decision game and sticker condition).
3. Heterogeneity by participant gender, own religiosity, religiosity of main decision maker in household, ethnicitiy, and other demographic data.

Revealed preference exercise 1: Volunteer for NGO to fight menstrual stigma
Revealed preference exercise 2: Snack from menstruating vs. non-menstruating woman

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Religiosity measured in 2 ways: 1) on a scale from 1 to 10, 2) by participating in purifying rituals for menstruation. The second one is an equall weighted index of two variables indicating participation in collective and individual rituals.

Religiosity of main decision maker in household measured in 2 ways: 1) on a scale from 1 to 10, 2) whether the mother cooks when she is own her period.

Experimental Design

The study implements a lab-in-the-field decision exercise with around 1,200 secondary-school students in about 30 schools in Nepal. Students make incentivized choices to show their prosociality in different scenarious with varying degrees of menstural stigma. We elicit social norms in an incentivized norm-elicitation task to measure perceived social appropriateness.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomization is done at the individual level by the survey software/tablet using built-in random number generation (i.e. computer-based randomization). The session-level draw for the payout-relevant round is done publicly at the end of the session.

Random variation of order of treatment at the session level.

Random variation of connected field experiment (Intervention as in "Stigma and Discrimination: Field Evidence from a Menstrual Awareness Program in Nepal", RCT ID AEARCTR-0014814):
We will vary the attendance conditions to the menstrual health awareness sessions in the schools. The intervention will involve three groups: (i) a control group with no sessions, (ii) a girls-only group, and (iii) a mixed-gender group of both girls and boys.

The content of the sessions will be the same across the treatment groups, with only the composition of the participants varying.

Randomization Unit

Individual student participant.
(There is also a session/school level in the sense that students are run in school groups, but treatment variation is at the individual level; every student sees all main conditions.)

Randomization of session order at the session level.

Random variation of connected field experiment (Intervention as in "Stigma and Discrimination: Field Evidence from a Menstrual Awareness Program in Nepal", RCT ID AEARCTR-0014814): at the level of the school.

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

30 schools with 1-6 sessions per school depending on school size.

Sample size: planned number of observations

1,200+ pupils

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

This is a within and between-subject experiment:
-1,200 pupils complete treatment a) anonymous
-1,200 pupils complete treatment b) Social image Peer
-1,200 pupils complete treatment c) and d) Punishment 1- Peers & Punishment 2 - Elderly

-1,200 pupils complete norm-elicitation part

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB