http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/social-stigma Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 24 May 2026 05:41:41 -0400 Sun, 24 May 2026 05:41:41 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1962/#itsnotmyperiod-hashtag-activisms-challenge-to-narratives-of-menstrual-stigma By Jessie J. Liu - Perceptions of menstruation as a taboo subject have historically characterized Western and non-Western societies alike and persist today, both perpetuating harmful cultural understandings of women’s abilities and normalizing institutional practices that exacerbate gender disparities. With the advent of viral social media movements or “hashtag activism,” however, challenges to these oppressive, misogynistic mainstream narratives have become increasingly powerful. Centered on menstrual activism and dismantling menstrual stigma, #ItsNotMyPeriod is one such movement. This paper argues... Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:02 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1962/#itsnotmyperiod-hashtag-activisms-challenge-to-narratives-of-menstrual-stigma http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1577/effects-of-cultural-factors-on-aids-epidemics-in-sub-saharan-african-countries-from-2005-2010 By Lee Walter - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has ravaged sub-Saharan Africa in the decades since its first recorded case. The disease has reached epidemic levels in many regions, with millions of new cases diagnosed each year. This paper examines the effects of several variables on the infection rates of AIDS in six African countries across six years and tests the hypothesis that widespread misconceptions surrounding AIDS, e.g. the misconceptions that AIDS can be cured by intercourse with a virgin and that AIDS can only be transmitted among homosexuals, affects AIDS rates more than other variables... Thu, 31 Dec 2015 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1577/effects-of-cultural-factors-on-aids-epidemics-in-sub-saharan-african-countries-from-2005-2010 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/900/hiv-positive-youth-empowerment-in-swaziland-an-evaluation-of-the-social-stigma-surrounding-hiv By Sahil Aggarwal - UNAIDS reports the antenatal HIV prevalence rate—the prevalence of HIV in unborn children—to be approximately 38% in Swaziland, Africa (UNAIDS 2012), the highest rate in the world (Root 2010). Diagnosed through an HIV antibody test or virological analysis, clinical progression of HIV infection is often divided into four stages based on symptoms observed in children (Table 1) (World Health Organization 2007). Disease progression through the stages into AIDS or death is reduced through antiretroviral medications, which have shown long term reversals in the infection’s effects on... Wed, 04 Jun 2014 09:57 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/900/hiv-positive-youth-empowerment-in-swaziland-an-evaluation-of-the-social-stigma-surrounding-hiv