By Soumyashree Mohanty, Research and Documentation Unit, CYDA
On the occasion of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Day, it is important to reflect on the realities surrounding menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Let us ask ourselves a few questions. Do we still wrap sanitary pads in paper or black plastic while buying them from shops? Do many girls and women still feel uncomfortable discussing menstruation with men? If the answer is yes, then it clearly shows that much more needs to be done.
India was among the countries that introduced specific menstrual hygiene schemes in 2011. Although the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009) included standards for drinking water and separate sanitation facilities for girls and boys in schools, menstrual hygiene received policy attention only later. Since then, several national and state level schemes and policies have been introduced to improve menstrual health and hygiene among girls and women.
But an important question remains. Why was there a need to create separate policies and schemes on menstruation in the first place? The answer lies in the way public policies are often designed. In many cases, policy making spaces are dominated by men, while women either play a limited role or are not included equally in discussions. As a result, important issues related to women’s health and daily experiences are often ignored. Menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum health, and menopause do not always receive the attention they deserve from policymakers, educators, and even parts of the healthcare system.
However, even after more than a decade of implementation, many challenges still remain. Reports continue to show that girls miss school or even drop out because of menstruation. Incidents reported in recent years also show that stigma and taboos around menstruation continue to exist. In some schools, girls have been humiliated or harassed simply because they were menstruating (to know more about it, click Educators Need Education Too — About Menstruation – Impactlens). These are only the incidents that become public, while many others remain unreported. Such situations highlight that policies and schemes alone are not enough. Real change requires proper implementation, regular monitoring, and a shift in social attitudes within schools, families, and communities.
To create an inclusive and supportive environment, awareness about menstrual hygiene management must include not only girls and women, but also boys and men. Even if proper facilities and services are provided, girls and women may still hesitate to access them confidently if men around them are not sensitized about menstruation. Unfortunately, very few structured studies in India have explored the understanding, attitudes, and perceptions of boys and men regarding menstruation and MHM. Few studies have shown that even when toilets are available at home, many women and girls are unable to practice proper menstrual hygiene because of fear, shame, or lack of privacy. For example, some women avoid washing menstrual cloths in bathrooms because the blood may become visible in drainage systems to male family members or neighbours (Water for People, 2008).
The same study also revealed that one adolescent girl dried her menstrual cloth in the courtyard after washing it. Seeing this, her father became angry. He scolded the girl’s mother for not teaching her the “proper” way to dry menstrual cloths. He also told the girl that she should feel ashamed for drying them openly. Although the girl was aware that drying menstrual cloths in dark places is unhygienic, she was not allowed to dry them in the sunlight. Her family believed that menstrual cloths should be hidden from the sight of men and dried only in dark or covered places.
A qualitative study conducted in India on boys’ perceptions of menstruation found that many boys had a limited understanding of menstruation, despite learning about puberty in schools. The study revealed that myths, misinformation, and confusion were common among boys. At the same time, many boys expressed curiosity and a willingness to learn more about the subject (Mason et al., 2017). Menstruation is a natural biological process, yet it has increasingly become linked with gender inequality and discrimination. In many schools, boys use menstruation as a reason to tease or dominate girls.
This clearly shows that boys and men are often not provided with correct and scientific information about menstruation. Menstruation is not something for which girls and women should feel ashamed or be humiliated. If boys and men continue to remain outside conversations on menstruation, the larger goals of menstrual hygiene schemes and policies will never be fully achieved. Creating awareness among men is not only important for supporting women and girls but also for building a more equal, respectful, and informed society.
References:
- Water for People. (2008). Menstrual hygiene management: A pilot study in West Bengal, India.
- Mason, L., Sivakami, M., Thakur, H., Kakade, N., Beauman, A., Alexander, K. T., van Eijke, A. M., Laserson, K. F., Thakkar, M. B., & Phillips-Howard, P. A. (2017). ‘We do not know’: A qualitative study exploring boys’ perceptions of menstruation in India. Reproductive Health, 14(1), 174. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-017-0435-x
