Due to lack of proper information about period and menstrual hygiene and consequent menstrual taboo, millions of girls are forced to drop out of schools, married off at an early age, unable to join the workforce and become very conscious, leading them to despise their bodies.
Let me guide you with this infographic: Also read: It’s 2018, Why Are We Still Stigmatising Menstruation? We all have to come together and systematically break down this taboo for the times to come.
Remarkably, this breakthrough came in a region where some 25 per cent of menstruating women still use old clothes and periods are considered a taboo! Promotion In a praiseworthy move, close to 700 women in Muhamma, a village in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, have publicly renounced the use of synthetic sanitary napkins during menstruation.
The word period was such a taboo that coaches called it “ladies’ problem” — the term itself is so negative.
Mumbai, March 2 Actresses Bhumi Pednekar and Tanaaz Irani are shocked that conversations around menstrual cycle are still considered a taboo, and stressed on the importance of opening up about it.
The cause of keeping girls in school hits home, and feels personal to me, especially with periods continuing to be a taboo topic.
Key points: Indigenous girls and women face extra challenges during menstruation, including access to affordable products and functioning bathrooms Indigenous girls and women face extra challenges during menstruation, including access to affordable products and functioning bathrooms Central Australian Youth Link Up Service provides a tailor-made menstrual hygiene guide to help young women navigate their menstrual cycle Central Australian Youth Link Up Service provides a tailor-made menstrual hygiene guide to help young women navigate their menstrual cycle One academic says more education is needed to reduce the taboo of menstruation in outback Australia Compounded by overcrowding, access to affordable sanitary products and functioning bathrooms can make dealing with menstruation challenging. Access to amenities difficult Despite the positive response to the Menstrual Hygiene Management project, young women cannot rely on access to sanitary items or clean and functioning bathrooms.
And even for those going through menopause, it has often felt pretty taboo to talk about the daily problems – especially bladder weakness.
Look at the way our ads maintain that “taboo” label on menstruation in their ads.
The campaign, created by Taboo, comes in light of research that found “almost half of Australian women do not fully understand their periods, with a further one in five admitting they feel embarrassed, ashamed or judged talking about menstruation.” Matilda Hobba, general manager of Taboo, said the new Periodic Table is a resource that will live on and evolve.
She said the move by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, would help tackle the taboo and sexism around periods – something vociferously highlighted in The Big Issue’s Period Issue special edition, published last month in association with anti period–poverty social enterprise Hey Girls.
Coryton said: “The end of this tax symbolises the end of a symptom of sexism and the period taboo, which has created period poverty and stopped girls from going to school.
Read also: Spotlight Indonesia: Myths and menstrual taboos Myths and misogyny Normalizing menstrual health can only be good for women‘s overall health, says Cotes-James, whose firm sells organic cotton pads, liners, and tampons, as well as medical grade silicone menstrual cups, but also works to help low income communities across Asia who don’t have access to safe, hygienic products.
Dear readers, did you know that a significant number of women in our country have to consume sehri and pretend to fast so as to keep their periods a secret during Ramadan, owing to the menstrual cycle‘s taboo nature? Here’s what happens – when menstrual calendars of all the ladies in a specific household strike that dreaded Day 1 , they all immediately get to work trying to somehow cover it all up.
Due to its taboo nature, the schools in our country, co-educational or otherwise, refrain from studying the menstrual cycle in detail.
Menstruation is a taboo topic in Pakistan, period.
To mark Menstrual Hygiene Day , Nobel Hygiene worked alongside Rio Agency to address these issues through a series of visuals and analogies, which showcase the realities of dealing with heavy periods practically, as well as tackling some of the taboos still prevalent in attitudes towards menstruation.
“We must end the stigma and taboo around periods, and ensure girls have the information they need to feel in control of their own bodies.
Phil Neville has identified the progress that the England set-up has made around the menstrual cycle as the key development during his reign as head coach, with the subject no longer taboo among the national team.
Akshay Kumar apologises to Twinkle Khanna, says ‘mere pet pe laat mat maro’ after he forgets her in PadMan tweet bollywood Updated: May 28, 2020 19:34 IST As PadMan completed two years of its release, Akshay Kumar lauded the team for placing their faith in a film on a ‘taboo’ subject and creating awareness about it. #PadMan https://t.co/wqP9q2nA7D — Twinkle Khanna May 28, 2020 Akshay apologised to Twinkle and replied to her tweet saying, “Please mere pet pe laat mat maro.
This #MenstrualHygieneDay, I hope we move a step closer towards ending period poverty and breaking taboos surrounding menstruation.
New research looking into taboo, stigma and superstition surrounding menstruation in 21st century Poland, conducted by the Kulczyk Foundation, a private family foundation fighting against discrimination and inequalities affecting women and girls around the world, has revealed that one in five women in Poland have inadequate financial resources to buy appropriate sanitary products, and that they live in a society where common taboos and myths exclude and humiliate women during their monthly cycle.
Period poverty does not only mean lack of access to sanitary products, but also poor knowledge of menstruation due to financial constraints or, as in the case of Poland, a generally negative environment composed of harmful taboos and misconceptions about periods.
The origin of such taboo is rooted in the cultural, historical and religious myths circumventing menstruation.
Learn more on #MHDay2020: https://t.co/vz6ay7JeZQ — UN Women May 28, 2020 On the issue of persisting period stigma and taboos, the website stated, “Lockdowns intensify the impact of household-level taboos and stigmas on women and girls and make it more difficult to manage menstruation, without shame and discomfort in often confined spaces.” As we know, bodily functions don’t stop even for pandemics which makes it critical to include menstrual considerations in the COVID-19 emergency response interventions.
Our reporters went to investigate on the island, where due to a lack of access to basic infrastructure and necessities – but also because of beliefs, taboos and humiliation – menstrual hygiene is a battle for millions of women, with serious consequences for their empowerment, education and health.
The activist explained that for women in Madagascar, menstruation is – cycle after cycle – a moment that generates anxiety and social exclusion, fed by old taboos and misconceptions.
Indian religions, with regards to menstruation, are an example of paradoxes- where in some parts menstruation taboos are practised.
Even though Islamic principles do not recognize menstruation as a topic of stigma, there is a possibility of Indian Muslim women being subjected to the menstruation taboos, which is a result of being proximate to Indian cultures.
This ritual of celebrating the menstrual cycle of Mother Earth through Raja festival is an acknowledgement of the fact that the society had no taboo regarding the menstruation of women in past days.
She has been actively involved with a number of communities in starting and continuing conversations about processes and experiences of menstruation, taboos and sustainability.
Gayathri Mani By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The AAP government is going to install sanitary napkin incinerators in 3,204 toilet blocks of 553 girls and co-ed schools under the Directorate of Education and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to combat the taboo on menstrual hygiene.
POLOKWANE – Over the years certain myths or acts have been considered taboo by elders in the community.
Talking about women’s menstrual health is considered a taboo.
Saint Frances, review: This groundbreaking film deals with abortion and period sex with a refreshingly light touch There is an invigorating lack of sentimentality to Alex Thompson’s funny, taboo-busting debut feature Dir: Alex Thompson, 101 mins, starring: Kelly O’Sullivan, Ramona Edith Williams “I’m for sure getting rid of it,” 34-year-old Bridget tells her younger boyfriend Jace, when she finds out she is pregnant.
There is an invigorating lack of sentimentality to Alex Thompson’s funny, taboo-busting debut feature.
Just like Mahie, Meghna and Samanvi, my family is from India, and there, menstrual health is often considered a taboo topic.
Of course, India isn’t the only country that stigmatizes menstrual health, and Mahie said it’s important to remember that the taboos surrounding menstruation differ from place to place.
A bold campaign has been hailed for tackling menstruation taboos, endometriosis, infertility and miscarriage Having a vagina, uterus, womb or period is nothing new – yet society still doesn’t champion women to open up about their body parts, or experiences with them, and this has a hugely negative consequence on mental and physical health and wellbeing.
According to a report commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund shame, taboo, and misconception surrounding menstruation lead to exclusion and discrimination of girls and women. ‘Down’, ‘Chums’, ‘that time of the month’ are synonymous with menstruation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s open and unhesitating mention is also being seen as the beginning of breaking this taboo. — Narendra Modi In a very positive development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his latest Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort to talk about sanitary pads, thereby breaking a big taboo in Indian society.
Menstruation or period? The taboo, stigma and restrictions associated with menstruation have been passed on to modern times.
Is Zomato’s paid leaves for period a good move for Gender Equality? Talking about a subject like menstruation or period is not just a taboo in our country but people often judge you when you talk about it openly, even when they call themselves ‘modern’.
Aditi Gupta, who started Menstrupedia, did so after experiencing her own series of taboos growing up.
Though Nepal criminalized the practice last year, many villages in the country continue to follow the taboo, known as chhaupadi in Nepali.
In 2018, WASH started Breaking The Bloody Taboo campaign where, as the name suggests, the Anurag and his team strive to strip women of the age-old taboos.
Despite grappling with poverty that reduces their access to quality education, girls from Geita District in Tanzania are disheartened by social taboos that haunt their educational development and expose them to menstrual health problems.
It is a taboo for girls and women from the Kuria tribe to reveal anything concerning their personalities, especially their menstrual cycles as it is against our cultural beliefs, says one Maria Stephano, a traditional woman from Geita District.
One Noelia Nestory, a female teacher at Lwamgasa Primary School in Geita District says that social taboos related to menstrual health are an underlying challenge of education for many girls in schools.
To achieve target, the Niine Movement launched a 3E plan, which includes Educating males & females of good menstrual hygiene practices; Enrolling citizens and existing menstrual hygiene product users in a supportive, taboo-free environment, to create an open forum for discussion and deliberation and; Enhancing the sanitation sector by providing the best quality menstrual hygiene products at appropriate prices.
The Niine Period Tracker is the solution for girls and women across India who want to move past the taboo and become more aware of their body’s functions and their natural menstrual cycle.
These six New Year’s taboos mean you’ll be doing a lot less cooking, fighting and random spending at the start of the year.
Breaking Taboos Thang Vo-Ta is working to advance gender equality by focusing on women’s menstrual health.
While taboos are breaking down around menstruation and pregnancy, other health conditions or goals faced by women of different ages, backgrounds and medical histories are yet to receive the complete digital treatment.
R. Balki’s 2018 film “Pad Man,” with Akshay Kumar, shows how this age-old taboo has created a culture of discrimination and resulted in serious health issues for women and girls.
Actor Manav Gohil, who will flag off a run on International Women’s Day to create awareness on menstrual hygiene, says men should participate equally to speak up about it to break the social taboo attached to menstruation.
In an effort to encourage healthy conversations, Aura Integrated Solutions under the aegis of Success Gyan will be launching Taboo, a first-of-its-kind event.
The year began with Taboo debuting in Sri Lanka on January 26.
Mumbai: Actor Manav Gohil, who will flag off a run on International Women’s Day to create awareness on menstrual hygiene, says men should participate equally to speak up about it to break the social taboo attached to menstruation.
The past few years have been instrumental in bringing awareness around menstruation and removing the taboo that most girls and women grow up to face.
In the Indian context, this documentary is another attempt at making periods a taboo-free subject and the film does the job well as we can see the changes being made at the grass root level.
School of Cinematic Arts alumnae Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton and graduate student Helen Yenser aimed to depict the struggle of menstruation in the face of cultural taboos in their film.
According to Zehtabchi, the filmmakers wanted to highlight women’s struggles to survive in a culture where menstruation is a taboo subject.
The scene is acted out impeccably and the vulnerability of Katie’s character becomes evident to a social pariah who is ready to pounce and take advantage of her.”Persistent harmful socio-cultural norms, stigma, misconceptions and taboos around menstruation, continue to lead to exclusion and discrimination of women and girls“, said the independent human rights experts, ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Historically, in many Indian cultures, menstruation was considered auspicious, and menstrual blood was even served up as an offering to goddesses, according to historian Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, as quoted by scholar Janet Chawla in “Mythic Origins of Menstrual Taboo in Rig Veda.” The menstruating woman was treated like a goddess, as if society was amazed at how women could bleed out of their bodies and not die, like it’s no big deal.
More than 30 percent of girls living in north India drop out of school when they start menstruating, according to “Exploration of the Foundation of Menstrual Taboos Along the Lines of Culture and Religion and Its Implication on the Development of Women.” Period products are inaccessible and unreliable for many women from low-income communities, as a result of a lack of innovation influenced by the menstrual taboo.
Since then, they’ve donated more than 30,000 cups to those in period poverty and launched numerous campaigns addressing the taboos surrounding menstruation.
Like the women in the Hapur District, many women all over the world have felt drawbacks due to longstanding taboos including the idea that it makes one weak, unfit for public tasks, or that periods are linked with contamination and disease. The women in the film face more adversity than many of us could ever imagine when it comes to managing and understanding their periods.
Her Instagram post quickly garnered national attention. Menstruation has become taboo in almost every part of the world – diminishing its health benefits to women.
International Women’s Day serves as a fitting day for Run4Niine, where EVERYONE can come together in solidarity to tackle menstrual taboos.” Run4Niine is an initiative by Niine Sanitary Napkins, a challenger brand in the menstrual hygiene sector of India.”Globally, and in the UK, we have heard countless stories of women not being allowed to perform religious tasks such as sewa while on their period.
Menstruation, which is considered a taboo, should be included in the education system, and students should also be taught menstrual hygiene management in order to increase awareness Maya Vishwakarma, ‘Pad Woman’ of India During awareness workshops, Alakshi often gets asked if the use of cup will increase the vagina size.
“Charging women for a natural bodily function sends out a damaging message and supports the taboo that periods make us lesser in some way.” It was in May 2014 that Laura first realised women were being unfairly taxed on sanitary products and launched an online petition.
In supplying all UK schoolchildren with period products by 2020 the government is somewhat addressing a taboo In supplying all UK schoolchildren with period products by 2020 the government is addressing a taboo usually left alone.
“We think there is a taboo on menstrual symptoms, mainly because women think this is just a normal part of life, and they might feel it is not accepted to openly discuss this matter,” said lead study author Dr. Mark Schoep of Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
From youth clubs to living rooms, a pack of 50 cards with period-related questions and discussions will encourage people to shake off the shame Period poverty social enterprise Hey Girls has revealed its pioneering new learning tool set to tear down the period stigma in schools. ‘My Period’ is a pack of 50 cards with an image on one side and a discussion on the other, ready to explain “everything you want to know” about periods by facilitating taboo conversations.
One of the primary reasons for this, is the cultural taboos and myths that accompany menstruation.
Once the taboo around the subject is removed, we can have more conversations around menstrual health and acknowledge it as necessary as any other health concern women might face.
Global Journalist: What are some of the taboos and stigmas that you faced growing up with menstruation? Aditi Gupta: These are quite common, menstruation is a taboo topic in India.
It is precisely this taboo that Garima Abhiyan – launched in the Simdega district of Jharkhand – tackles through its Menstrual Hygiene Management awareness campaign.
Today, stars like Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte and Manushi Chhillar Kerala Schools Give Free Sanitary Pads This is another path-breaking initiative which aims to eradicate the taboos around menstruation and promote menstrual hygiene among school girls.
Menstrual Hygiene Day: The key to overcoming age-old taboos is through education and an open dialogue.
“We live in a society where period is still a taboo and there exist many stereotypes for boys too like them being hesitant in talking about their bodies and biological changes taking place with age.
Hysteria and menstrual taboos One big problem with asking about periods has to do with the underlying assumptions behind that question.
Reasons for poor MHM in the rural area Menstrual hygiene is a taboo subject; a topic that many women are uncomfortable discussing in public, even in their families.
The taboos and rituals surrounding menstruation exclude women and girls from aspects of social and cultural life.
Outside of the classroom, what role can we play in bringing the discussions on menstrual health out in the open and make them more scientific and gender-neutral?As this film and emojis can attest, taboos about menstruation and the stigmatization of women for the natural biological process abound in all cultures.
Although menstruation is still referred to as a taboo subject, Healy and Massey-Bierman agree that it has helped them bond with other female students and women.
The text of this article was generated by the Breaking The Silence system that collected 147 news articles posted on the web from January 2019 to September 2020 and clustered for the taboo subject of menstruation
