Take stigma out of menstruation: Involve men in conversation

Menstruation has always been a taboo topic in India. Unfortunately, women have borne the brunt of all the centuries-old stigmas and archaic myths attached to it. People still practice age-old rituals where women are made to feel ashamed and apologetic about their periods.

Since periods are considered ‘dirty’ and ‘impure’, so many women are not allowed to enter the kitchen while they’re menstruating. Many are even forbidden from touching a bottle of pickle. Why? Because it is believed that the pickle will go bad if they do. In places, women have to live outside their villages during that time of the month. In fact, society’s attitude often amounts to ‘period shaming’.

The mental health impact of period shaming on women cannot be ignored. Since young girls don’t understand menstruation and cannot speak about them freely, it results in immense trauma, stress and anxiety. It can affect an adolescent girl’s confidence in the long term and reinforces the mindset that women have an inferior place in society.

In the workplace, women experience acute stress, as there are often no provisions for their needs during their periods. They are also subjected to ridicule and abuse, and often lose out on advancement opportunities in their careers.

In the social context, the onset of periods results in child marriage in so many cases.

Let’s face it. Menstruation is a human rights issue. The stigmas attached to it have promoted gender inequality and discrimination, and held women back from achieving their true potential.

On a more positive note, society is slowly beginning to talk about menstruation more openly than before. But real change cannot come without the involvement of men in the movement. Since we are a patriarchal society, men have played a critical role in sustaining the stigmas attached to menstruation. Now, men from all walks of life must come forward to fight those very stigmas.

Men have wanted nothing to do with menstruation in the past and forced women to deal with it in the most discreet manner possible, often without taking into consideration the health implications. This attitude must change.

Men must encourage the females of the household to speak up about their periods without hesitation. With factual awareness and by understanding their hormonal changes and their mental state, men can show their support to women, put them at ease and reduce the trauma that they experience.

Instead of turning a blind eye to the needs of women, men must recognize the health-related dangers of poor menstrual hygiene and encourage the use of hygienic absorbents. In fact, why can’t men be proactive in procuring sanitary napkins for women? This single act can eliminate the ‘embarrassment’ that society feels vis-à-vis menstruation.

In schools and colleges, boys tend to mock girls when they start their periods. This has a deep and lifelong impact on the psyche of girls, who don’t understand them as it is. In fact, according to UNICEF, in India, only 13% of girls know about menstruation before they get their first period. Consequently, girls suddenly are reluctant to go to school during their periods or even drop out, as there is worry regarding spotting.

Just as mothers teach their daughters about the changes they will go through when they start their periods, families, and fathers especially, can teach their sons about respecting women during their periods. Fathers can also lend support to their daughters, which will give them immense confidence in dealing with this enormous physical and emotional change.

More than 50% of school teachers in India are men. It is important for the male teachers and the male students to be well-informed about menstruation, in order to stop the bullying and abuse that has prevailed over time. Which is why, menstrual health awareness should become a part of the school curriculum to sensitize everyone to it.

Men must also join the progressive public-forum conversations about menstrual health and hygiene. They must reiterate again and again that there is nothing shameful about something that is a part of the process that gives life.

Eradicating the stigmas attached to menstruation and normalizing the conversation around it will not only improve public health, it will also help empower women and help them attain their rightful place in society.

The author is a sociopreneur, founder Ujaas a menstrual health and hygiene social enterprise

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