Stop the Stigma. Period.
A Celebration of Women’s Bodies
Happy International Women’s Day!
Menstruation. Periods. There is a whole lot to talk about when it comes to menstruation. About half of the world’s population experiences this biological function monthly, for an average time of 3 to 5 days. In their lifetime, women spend an average of 6 years menstruating [1]. Yet this biological experience that many women face has long been surrounded with stigma, shame, and secrecy.
The weekend before International Women’s Day, Sarah and I decided to throw ourselves a menstruation party. We drank our favorite tea, had a menstruation-themed photoshoot, talked about periods, the need to celebrate them, and how we could contribute to ending the stigma around them. This was not the first time Sarah and I had long conversations about menstruation. As a matter of fact, we have had many conversations about using different menstruation products and about our menstruation stories and struggles.
As women in the water, sanitation, and hygiene public health sector, we have often talked about Menstruation Hygiene Management (management of hygiene, related to the menstrual process) and period poverty. However, Sarah and I both grew up not talking about periods, fearing to be embarrassed if others knew when we were on our periods, and being mortified by the idea of menstruation blood leaking through our clothes. These are our stories and experiences, but they are also the stories of many other women.
What is there to say about menstruation?
Many women experience discrimination and mistreatment because of their menstruations. In many regions around the world, women are seen as dirty and untouchable when they are on their periods [1]. Social and cultural norms have sometimes contributed to women being misinformed about their menstruations [1]. There are many myths about periods. One example is “If you use a tampon, you will lose your virginity.” Another myth I am very familiar with is, “Now that you are menstruating, if you play with boys, you will get pregnant.”
The latter is the story of my “menstruation talk.” I was 9 years old when I started menstruating. I remember sitting around the dining table with my aunt. I remember understanding very little about the biological function part of it. I understood I was going to bleed from my vagina once a month. But the one thing that I never forgot my aunt told me was that, “You cannot play with boys anymore; You will get pregnant if you do. Be very careful!”
What keeps me awake the most is how consistent access to menstrual products is still a luxury to many. So much so that Sarah and I celebrate with a glass of wine each time we come across a news item about a country that has availed sanitary towels for free to girls and women. Reportedly, Scotland was the first country to make tampons, pads, and all menstrual products free to those who need them [2]. Many countries are following suit. Even more recently, New Zealand announced that it would provide free menstrual products for school girls [3]. On the African Continent, Ethiopia took a bold step by drastically reducing the taxes on menstrual products from 30% to 10% to make them more accessible [4].
Stories like these are becoming increasingly common, but make no mistake, the pace is painstakingly slow. The cascading effects of not having access to sanitary products when one needs them can be damaging and far-reaching. For example, a girl may miss school days, drop out of school altogether, be more prone to societal ills like unwanted pregnancies and early marriage. Overall, girls without proper access to menstrual hygiene products are disproportionately impacted in areas such as education, employment, and financial stability.
To commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8th, we have one ask — that you dear reader, makes a contribution towards ensuring girls are not limited by this very biological phenomenon. “How?!” You may wonder! These are some simple ways we recommend you contribute.
- Help reduce the stigma associated with menstrual health
- Show support to a girl in your life by encouraging her to feel comfortable with menstruation
- Educate yourself and debunk any myths you may have about menstruation
- Donate to causes in your local community that support dignified menstruation for girls
- Lobby your politicians to abolish the tax on menstrual products or to provide free menstrual products
We wish you a Happy International Women’s Day 2021 and we hope that you #ChooseToChallenge stigma and inaccessibility to proper menstrual health management.
Note on authors:
This article has been co-authored by Lena Musoka and Sarah Lebu.
Lena is a Masters of Public Health student at the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently conducting research in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sarah is a public health researcher in the field of Global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. She is a graduate of the Masters of Public Health and Masters of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Sarah and Lena are originally from East and Central Africa but currently based in San-Francisco Bay Area, California.
References:
- https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2019/10/infographic-periods
- https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/938893768/scotland-becomes-first-country-to-make-period-products-free
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/world/asia/new-zealand-period-schools.html
- https://twitter.com/MoF_Ethiopia/status/1346083804423856129
