There is no doubt when it comes to the fact that we have evolved and grown as a society. Whether it’s industrialization, globalization or even education. But even so, there are aspects of life that we still cannot come to terms with. Reason just being the rigidity of our mind.
Menstruation is one of them. Getting periods is one of the most common things in the world, every woman gets vaginal bleeding as a part of their monthly cycle which starts at the onset of puberty. Then why are we so afraid to talk about it?
Menstruation in India
Even in today’s world, a large part of India considers getting periods as the symbol of impurity. Women in their periods are discriminated against, They cannot go to temples or pray, they can’t even enter their kitchen, the reason being as periods are impure, the food they make or go near might get contaminated. Religion and culture are a big part of India, our traditions, roots, that is what we are known for, but as good and festive as that can be, it also has its downfalls.
Myths surrounding Menstruation
The following had given birth to some major myths.
The myths took place in Vedic times but the majority still believes in them. Periods are considered so impure and dirty that in some parts of India, a woman cannot participate in most of her normal routine and after it ends, she needs to be “purified”.
In some cultures, it is believed that if women do not burn their clothes after their period’s end, they are witches or if they don’t bury their clothes, evil spirits might use them. For obvious reasons this is rare but the belief still exists.
Menstruation is associated with various negative elements such as black magic, evil, embarrassment etc. One of the major reasons why it is talked about in shame is that it takes place in women’s reproductive organ. There are so many illogical beliefs in different cultures that people still aren’t willing to change. The problem arrives when these myths cause health issues, causes women to practice unhygienic things.
You can visit mentioned link to check some myths around menstruation: https://www.unicef.org/rosa/stories/7-alarming-myths-about-periods-we-have-end-now
Impacts of these Myths
Because of illogical beliefs and myths, we often don’t talk about many issues. Getting periods can be very shameful for some young girls, so they don’t ask or confront their problems, which can lead to various health issues. Whether to use pads, tampons or cups, they are advised about it.
Some girls prefer not to go to schools because of shame. Why do schools not talk or teach about it?
Studying menstruation and reproductive organs in 10th grade caused shame when even teachers were uncomfortable. Not just women, but even men should be familiarised with menstruation the coming generation does not think about it as a taboo too.
Our education system should comprise of these topics so no one is falsely informed. Young girls and boys should not have to google these things but instead are supposed to be informed by trusted elders. There are so many faux believes regarding menstruation due to socioeconomic backgrounds. Women are asked not to eat certain things, asked not to do any kind of exercise as it can affect them negatively, which is not only not true but the scenario is quite the opposite.
The problem is that women even today are not educated about menstruation. Women living in urban areas practice hygienic sanitation but most of India is rural and 77% of the women still use cloth and more than that use unhygienic and risky things like ashes, sand, dried leaves. They are prone to infections all the time.
Some of these myths are so scary wrong that they suggest that women should not wash their genitals during their periods, which can be extremely harmful.
Impact on Education
Over 23% of girls in India drop out of school once they start menstruating. These girls belong to less economically developed India. Mostly, in these areas, the schools went gender friendly. Not every school is sanitary enough to provide for the needs of women and girls menstruating which includes the female teachers.
It is noticed by surveys that sanitary products, hygiene, pain relief medicines and sanitary facilities improve attendance when it comes to girls and women in their periods. Schools that don’t have these facilities create a barrier between females and their education.
Even in developed urban areas, initially, when a girl gets her periods, it is so embarrassing that she chooses not to go to school. Often they are afraid they the boys will make fun of them or they will leak and ruin their clothes. These issues arise due to lack to information provided to both girls and boys at the onset of puberty.
Lack of education and knowledge can lead to period poverty, and this does not just confine to India, menstruation is a taboo all around the world. In places like Kenya, girl engaged in sex in exchange for period products. Which leads to sexually transmitted diseases.
Fortunately there are people and organisations that acknowledge these problems and take actions against it.
There are NGO’s like Hyderabad-based Balamitra Foundation, Dehradun based NGO Humans For Humanity or ego femme.
YouTube Channels like “Her Zindagi” not only talk about this particular stereotypical problems too. There are various Instagram pages talking about the same and other women issues, breaking the barriers and expanding the comfort zone.
For example, feminist, feminism in India, pink_bits or bloodygoodperiod (also a charity organisation). And there are various more on different platforms.
We have come a far way from where we were but we still have to travel further and break free from such stigma caused by misogyny. Both men and women should be able to talk about all matters that are important without any shame.
In the end, it comes down to equality but also the objective of saving lives. Such taboos that endanger women should not have a place in society. These taboos impact so much on the physical and emotional state of women because they force them to believe that menstruation is indeed something to be ashamed about.
We cannot change the past but we can save the future by starting to talk about it. By finding the nuances between right and wrong.
