Periods are often surrounded by stigma, leading to shame and silence. Explore the importance of open conversations to normalize menstruation.
What is the Stigma of Period Poverty?
On any given day 300 million girls worldwide are menstruating. In some parts of the world, for cultural and religious reasons, those in their periods may be considered ‘dirty’, ‘untouchable’ or ‘disgraced’. As a result, many are made to believe myths such as, “If you use a tampon, you will lose your virginity”.
This can often lead to the following issues:
-
Exclusion of Public Life
- This includes that people who are menstruating aren’t allowed to touch food whether cooking or serving
- Stopped from entering religious spaces
- Isolate themselves from the public until menstruation has stopped
- This is also when child brides start becoming prevalent
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Using Code Language to explain their period
- “I’m on my dot”
- “ Aunt Flo is here”
- “ Code red”
- “ It’s Lady Business”
- There are many more code names given
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Barriers to Opportunities
- Girls who are menstruating in developing countries often face period poverty and due to this often cannot attend school due to not having the hygiene products needed.
- This also reinforces gender inequality
- Menstautrions itself doesn’t interfere with a girl’s ability to learn but rather the girl’s ability to go to school
-
Health concerns
- Infections can develop from lack of proper access to sanitation facilities
- Teen pregnancies are much more lucky due to the stigma as often people are left uneducated.
Where does the Stigma come from?
- Cultural Norms
- In early history in the 1800’s it was believed women who were menstruating had to cleanse themselves for anyone to touch them. Creating a thought that women were ‘ dirty’ on their period.
What can we do about Period Stigma?
- Talk about periods openly.
- Avoid using code names for periods, like “Aunt Flo.”
- Advocate for improved access to sanitation products.
- Push for period-friendly policies in workplaces and schools.
- Fight back against period discrimination and shaming.
Summary
Women all over the world are often hidden due to having a period, often called dirty or unholy during this time. Due to the sigma of periods often many women are left facing the problem of being excluded from public life and often let other ladies know about their period by using code language. For those in developing countries, this also means a lot more problems in areas such as education, and having proper sanitation facilities and hygiene products. Often a combination of these issues can also lead to a lack of contraception and a higher risk of child brides due to the dire situation those dealing with period poverty can face. So what can we do? First, we need to be able to talk about periods much more openly and advocate for access to sanitation products and clean facilities. Second, we must allow places like schools, workplaces etc., to push for period-friendly policies such as letting someone with a period take days off should they not be able to deal with the pain or fatigue that day and most importantly, we must fight back about discrimination and shame. When we see this behavior acted upon, we must call it out and educate.
Works Cited
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UN Women. “End the Stigma. Period.” UN Women, 6 Oct. 2019, www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2019/10/infographic-periods.
UNFPA. “Menstruation and Human Rights – Frequently Asked Questions.” Unfpa.org, May 2022, www.unfpa.org/menstruationfaq.
Voice, USOW Ambassador. “Civic Nation BrandVoice: Let’s Talk about Periods and Break the Stigma.” Forbes, 24 Oct. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/civicnation/2020/10/24/lets-talk-about-periods-and-break-the-stigma/?sh=50ae08483d93. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.