"Periods"- It's a dirty word.

Indian households have held this stigma over the heads of women for time immemorial, probably. If you get periods, you are “polluted”. If you are a young woman on her period, you should not enter the kitchen. Periods are a form of Satan, and it is the punishment women get for being born as such, blah blah. This is exactly what the matriarch in an Indian household still mentors young women today.

And it doesn't stop here. The shopkeeper hands you the sanitary napkin in a black polythene bag, making you feel like a smuggler. The elders will tell you to talk in hushed tones when you have a stomach cramp. You will be turned away from temples or churches because you are “impure” for the house of god. And to top it all off, your mother will hand you a pillow to sleep outside of your room since you and your brother share the same bed.

The subtle feeling that your house becomes against you is a strange feeling for a thirteen-year-old girl. It seems she has been alienated from society, as if she is at fault for this, and this is a curse.

If that were the truth, none of us would have had mothers.

Introduction

Menstruation in India is a hot topic. It walks on from one ear to the other like a mosquito, ringing about the news that a girl has become a woman. That is definitely the harbinger of the topic of marriage. Since girls are “born to get married,” what better time than this? When they have just turned into a woman, and their womb is ready for fertilization. But is that all a woman is? Just a machine for procuring babies?

Menstruation is a healthy and natural way of occurring in individuals who have had a womb for approximately 40 years of their lives.  Periods are a way that the woman's body ends a menstrual cycle. Now the biology noobs might get a little confused here, but stick with me. The egg that makes the baby in a woman is released every month. If not fertilized, this egg has to find a way out of the body since it’s of no biological use now. However, the female body has been preparing a womb for fertilization for 28 days, and the endometrium develops a thick layer. When the egg gets disposed of, this layer, too, gets torn off and comes out in the form of blood, vaginal discharge, and several other fluids. 

This simple physiology that exists behind the occurrence of periods is unknown to more than a lot of people. Society has been invested in this from day one and always has a say about how it should be. Why? Because no one talks about it. The most ironic thing is- why should anybody listen to someone who does not understand their bodies at all?

The Stigmatisation of Menstruation Since Yore

Religion has played a remarkably strong role in making taboos out of menstruation. The term niddah, which comes from the Old Testament, is a traditional Jewish term meaning “expelled” or “excluded.” The same term is used in Jewish religions for women who are menstruating. Men are first forbidden from having relations with their wives during this period. Only after she has purified herself (mikveh) by immersing herself in the water can she go back and touch her husband.

Hinduism believes that women who are menstruating are impure, so they should not enter temples or kitchens lest anything gets polluted. In fact, in some states, the woman is not allowed to enter the house for the four or five days that she bleeds. There is a separate room kept for such times outside the actual house, away from the rest of the family. Ironically, Hindu goddesses also undergo menses, and it is considered the holiest time of the year. 

The Quran states that menstruation is “harmful,” and people should keep away from it. From the 1800s, there was a term for women on their menses- “on the rags.” Even saying that a woman is on her period is such a shameful matter that the whole society has come up with colorful terms to hide this fact.

The longstanding effect of such stigma has been around for a long time. The hypocrisy around such taboos is ragingly illogical. The saddest part is that young, naive women suffer because of this. It is quite possible that while you are reading this piece, some woman is getting her period. Simultaneously, she is also being handed the longstanding stigma that society has built up on menstruation as her period gift. 

Where Does This Stigma Originate From?

Prejudice and discrimination around periods have been around for a long time. Nobody knows the beginning of it. But people are prejudiced still, and the reasons are quite apparent:

The Sheer Discrimination:

People discriminate against young girls and call them impure, driving them out of kitchens. This stems from religious roots, and while these are not at all true, they are still followed. These practices build a sense of shame in the woman undergoing menstruation.

Taboos Around Discussing Menstruation:

Schools do not teach about periods in rural India. Most of the country, nay, the world, is still under the impression that discussing it is wrong. Nobody knows why. Menstruation is a subject that should be kept strictly under wraps. The fact that someone is on her period should be hidden, even from her family members. This is a common practice. 

All of this leads one to believe that having periods is something wrong, and guilt develops.

Lack of Affordability and Access to Period Products:

Though there have been many campaigns around this idea, there is very little progress. People, or I dare say the leadership (read governments), do not understand that periods are an obligation; it is not an optional matter. Sanitary napkins are not a luxury, but a must. The use of other products leads to dangerous diseases that might even be fatal.

The high cost and tax coax people to use other things in place of sanitary napkins. This also creates an air of nuisance, and people believe that women’s maintenance costs more. This leads to a whole other arena, which includes female foeticide, shaming women, domestic abuse, etc.

Lack of Awareness:

*** education is null in a country like India. A country that has such a teeming population should be the first to be privy to such information. However, the case is absolutely opposite. Schools do not talk about menarche, menopause, ***, protection, STDs, etc. This mostly results in young women getting harassed emotionally, physically, and sometimes even being driven to their deaths.

The Period Statistics

Let’s crunch some numbers now.  The studies and statistics about period studies all point to the following:

• 71% of girls in India have no idea about menstruation until they get it themselves.

• Only 36% of the massive 355 million menstruating females use proper sanitary napkins. The rest of them rely on other things like old rags, ash, tissues, socks, and sometimes even husk, leaves, or soil.

• Twenty-three million girls drop out of school after they hit menarche. This statistic emerged in a 2014 study by Dasra, a charity for adolescent health.

• A full plate of food on the streets of India costs 10 INR. One pack of sanitary napkins costs at least 30 INR. 

• India scrapped a 12% tax on sanitary products in 2018 after a huge campaign carried out by activists. It is to be remembered that menstruation is not something that is chosen; it is a natural obligation that happens to women.

How Do We Win This Battle?

Honestly, any battle that is so steeped with prejudice and stigma is a hard one to win. But people are trying their best to bring changes. Campaigners and NGOs are trying to educate people in rural India about the myths surrounding menstruation. Camps are being held where free sanitary napkins are distributed. Schools are holding special classes for *** education.

Despite all the efforts, we are far off from building a world that is safe and inclusive of menstruating women. Girls will still face remarks when their menstrual blood is seen on their skirts in school. Women will still be accused of having “mood swings” if they talk about their discomfort. PMS is a very vast topic that most people, including women themselves, are unaware of.

The battle is not over. But there are warriors all around the world fighting silently. The anarchy around menarchy, also known as menarchy, is being fought by artists, authors, players, homemakers, etc. The stigma will not dissolve in one day. But you, the reader, can do some simple things to ensure that the world knows this is not a disease; it is just as simple and natural as a smile:

• Talk and discuss openly about periods.

• Show compassion to someone who is going through menstruation.

• Try to talk to young girls and let them know about menarche.

• Try to talk to older women and let them know about the characteristics of menopause.

• Be helpful and share period products like a sanitary napkin or a tampon.

Conclusion

I speak on behalf of all those women undergoing periods at this moment- “You are no less than a warrior.” Heck, a warrior bleeds half a day and then dies; we women bleed for four days straight. And if that is not resilience, I do not know what is.

It is high time the world realizes that menstruation is as natural as rain falling on earth, that the blood is sacred, not impure. Women hold the power to create civilizations as long as they bleed. It is time civilizations stop whispering about it in shame, break the taboos surrounding it, and embrace the divinity that menstruation is.