Period taboo refers to the social and cultural stigma around menstruation, a natural process of a woman’s anatomy. The taboos about menstruation assume that a woman is impure during her periods; hence, she is forbidden from performing daily chores.
It is high time that we stop promoting menstruation as a taboo and understand the whole perspective of this amazing biological mechanism. With period-related issues becoming more and more prominent in the current times, talking and discussing about them will create a sense of awareness in society, which will lead to the eradication of unhealthy practices.
Menstrual Challenges Women Face At Work And Home
One might wonder, even after being a natural process, why are periods taboo? That is because of the lack of awareness and knowledge. Here, we will throw light on period taboo at work and home, which can turn out to be a nightmare for a woman during her painful days.
Periods In The workplace
- The workplace is where a person spends most of their time in a day. So, it must have basic amenities to help women during their cycles. But sadly, many organisations lack the basic facilities to provide menstrual products.
- In some places, they even lack a clean and hygienic washroom, which is a priority for any individual.
- It is said that almost 40% of women experience heavy menstrual cramps. However, due to the taboo around menstruation, ladies fail to communicate it and end up suffering, which might also affect their productivity.
Periods At home
- Though with time, general perceptions of taboos related to menstruation have also evolved. But still, certain households lack a basic understanding of menses and mistreat menstruating women.
- The taboos on menstruation are so strong that women are not allowed to enter certain spaces, such as the kitchen and puja room in the house, assuming that they will pollute the place.
- Women with heavy bleeding or severe pain might not have sufficient support from the family, which can lead to physical and emotional turmoil. Sometimes, they may even lack the basic menstrual product.
Tips To address
To grow and progress as a society, we must become aware of and address the problems prevailing in the community. Overcoming menstrual taboos is one such issue that needs immediate attention. Let's see how we can address this taboo.
Education And Awareness
Educating young minds about menstruation will encourage them to understand and eliminate the taboo from a young age, making them a responsible individual in the future. Also, creating awareness among the masses through social media platforms and other programs will help debunk the myths surrounding menstrual taboo.
Supportive Environment
Having a supportive environment in educational institutions and workplaces will ensure period and work can go hand in hand hassle-free. Further, supporting women dealing with period shame will help to minimise such activities.
Implementing Policies
Advocating for implementing policies that enable menstrual leave or flexible working hours for menstruating ladies to accommodate menstrual health issues will enhance their productivity to a great extent.
How To Bring A Change
As the famous quote says, “Be the change you want to see in the world”- we have to initiate building a society that normalises periods and debunks the question why is talking about periods taboo. Here are some tips that can help to bring a change.
Normalise Talking Openly
We have to talk openly about menstruation with our families, friends, peers and colleagues. Sharing stories and personal experiences can help break the ice around this topic. This is one of the menstrual stigma solutions.
Challenge Stigmas
Confronting the stigmas and bursting the common myths and misconceptions with authentication can suppress the negative stereotypes, helping increase the understanding of the process, unveiling the positive side of menses.
Leverage Technology
Developing resources like apps and online platforms designed to provide valid information about the monthlies. This will also help people keep track of dates and other menarche-related things, fostering menstrual health.
Conclusion
Menstruation is an inevitable process in the woman’s body, which is gifted to create a new life. However, this boom period has been manipulated as a curse due to a lack of knowledge and the right information. The challenges that a woman goes through during her periods have been countless, and due to various misconceptions, it has only contributed towards worsening things, be it workplace or home. But with changing times, if we strive to eliminate this stigma through tools like education, introducing policies, and discussing opening and utilising technology, it will surely be a giant step towards empowering women to have healthy, hygienic, and happy periods.
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