Stigma around Menstruation that Still Exists

Menstruation or Period is an essential natural process and has long been a cradle of stigma for women all around the sphere. Though biological, almost half of the global population still perceive period as a big problem and have made their thoughts that periods are gross. “That time of the month,” “period,” “date”, “female trouble”, “girl flu” and many more: there are thousands of euphemisms already existing for the word that further epitomize the stigma orbit around it.

The reason behind the stigma

A study conducted by the International Women’s Health Coalition revealed, “There are about 5000 slang words use to refer to menstruation in 10 different languages.” The introduction of technology, the frankness of doctors about the topic, thousands of advertisements, better access to menstrual supplies, and yet still, menstruation is an extensively stigmatized issue. No matter what the advancements are, the topic remains a taboo and many people usually feel uncomfortable while talking about the word ‘menstruation ‘and see this topic as a matter of discussion behind closed bars. Maybe, those negative beliefs, detrimental notions and philosophies about menstruation that have been revolving around the world are a significant reason.

A dearth of health education resources because of the taboo revolving around the topic creates lack of knowledge about the menstrual cycle and that is why normalized period or menstruation is still a problem in various parts of the world. The inadequate information or awareness about this topic oils myths in the mind of people which further embarrass and humiliate women in the period of their monthly cycles.

Menstruation taboo in different parts of the world

Different parts of the world have different rules for women while they are having their periods. For instance, in Venezuela, a lot of women are enforced to sleep in huts during their menstrual cycles. In the district of rural Ghana, women who are menstruating are not allowed to enter the house. As per a survey, “many young women don’t even have access to any type of sanitary pad which causes them to opt-out of schools and increases the risk of developing reproductive tract infections.” Moreover, in Kenya, various studies said that “almost half of the girls miss four days of school every month and many women face discrimination, harassment during their menstruation. Many people consider periods as a form of weakness instead of an essential biological function. Similarly, in India, people see period blood as impure and hence women during their menstruation are not allowed to touch pickles or inside the temples. 

In various slums around India, 75% of girls don’t even know about menstruation before they experience it. Due to the dearth of facilities and limited access of sanitary pads, many of them skip schools, omit from the physical training, temples and many other places.

End the stigma. Period.

Just like a healthy heart rate indicates vital health, similarly, menstruation is an important indicator of decent health. Solving the issues and changing the mindset of people is extremely important to remove the barrier of awkwardness for women while they are on the menstruation.

Here’s how you can fight period stigma

• Talk about it: Be confidently vocal about it. Talk to your daughters, friends, students and men. That is the only way to make it a common education topic instead of a taboo.
• Donate menstrual products: It’s a great way to help who cannot afford or access the required products. Make them aware of the usage and importance of such products.
• Shop wisely: When you shop such products, many brands donate a small portion of it to those who are in need. So shop wisely.

Footnote

Accurate knowledge and proper access to menstrual products can help in breaking the bars of stigma around menstruation. We hope that one day the topic will no longer remain a taboo and will be treated as a natural thing that it is.