Gender inequalities continue to blot the Indian culture and deprive women of the dignity to menstruate. Somewhere a menstruating woman is still considered an outcast, embarrassment, impure and demonic. Millions of women have to conform to such stigma and sacrifice their menstrual health.
Studies show that men and boys are great influencers of the experience of the menstruation hygiene management. Men have several professional and community roles. In a patriarchal society, it becomes difficult for women to control resources and make independent decisions.
Further, various socio-economic variables give rise to a society where men know nothing about menstruation. It’s common for fathers or brothers not to talk about periods with their daughters or sisters. Important discussions around a natural phenomenon are hushed. This results in an overall desensitised male community.
Impact Of Insufficient Dialogue Around MHM
A student of a prestigious school in Delhi said, “My teacher skipped the entire portion on reproductive health. She encouraged us to study the part ourselves.” Another alum of Modern Delhi Public School, Faridabad recalled, “Many girls started getting their period when I was in the seventh grade. There was a surge in cases of skirt-stains. Teenage boys made a fuss about it whereas the teachers sent those girls home.” The alum further opined that since there was a lack of conversation about menstruation, neither the staff nor the students knew how to handle the situation.
What’s worse is that the stigma is seeping into normalities and proliferating throughout the country. A recent study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences stated that 8 out of 10 girls are not allowed to enter religious shrines when on periods. Also, 6 out of 10 girls are not allowed to touch food in the kitchen. Furthermore, the statistical report showed that 3 out of 10 girls were forced to occupy a separate room due to the stigmatised idea of menstruation.
In Western Nepal, menstruating women are banished from their homes and often treated as untouchables. On the pretext of impurity of menstruating women, the board of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala denied entry of women into the temple. Women are being asked to give up their rights and alter their very existences due to taboos around menstruation.
It is the 21st century, and we have a single question- For how long? For how long will it feel like a crime to bleed naturally? Such pressing questions have answers in solutions in the concepts of mere dialogue. It is time for men to open the channels of dialogue around Menstrual Hygiene.
How To Involve Men In The Conversations About MHM?
Discourage period stigma in school: Teachers who neglect modules of sexual health and hygiene need to be strictly dealt with. Further, it must be the priority of educators to establish an environment wherein students normalise conversations about sexual health and menstruation.
Create support at household and community level through education and awareness programs; men must be directed to challenge the existing norms and taboos.
Respect period needs: Periods are associated with symptoms like cramps, nausea, diarrhoea, PMS and weakness. Further stereotyping Premenstrual Syndrome and generalising it as “moodiness” or “irritable behaviour” usually de-escalates the severity of this highly subjective issue. The period needs also include access to privacy and facilities. Men in various roles should understand these needs and give women a comfortable environment to safely menstruate in.
Menstruation is not a “woman’s issue“. It is a naturally occurring phenomenon. However, it is not treated as one. Hence, it is time to find and create interactions of men around menstrual hygiene management.