Dear Men, Let's talk about Menstruation…..

I understand that the title must have dilated most people’s eyes. Menstruation has always been the kind of topic to be discussed somewhere private, within the four walls, between females and mostly concerned only as of the matter of concealment rather than being focused on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). Since ancient times, practices during menstruation have been rooted, influenced by the cultural and social aspect, and immensely supported by gender inequality. This has resulted in stigmas, taboos, and the feeling of shame around those days.

Referred mostly as “The Female issue”, conversation with men on this subject is strictly prohibited and is even considered disgraceful and outrageous. This may be one of the major reasons why Nepal has been ranked in the position of 106 out of 156 countries in The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index in 2021. Men play an important role in a woman’s life as a husband, father, son, teacher, friend, and policymaker. Therefore, the role of men in fulfilling the strategic and practical needs of women effectively across all the social domains such as home, school, community, and office become crucial.

Menstruation is a natural and biological phenomenon occurring in females who experience the shedding of blood from their uterus for 5–7 days. The process is crucial and is what eventually leads to reproduction yet misconceptions, discriminatory social norms, gender inequality, cultural taboos and lack of basic health education have maintained a significant gap between the treatment women get during their menstrual days and their actual need.

The concept of Dignified menstruation has been coined and linked within the principles of the Human Rights Declaration since 1948. A concept that uplifts the women status by addressing all kinds of violence, discrimination, abuses that are associated with menstrual practices from an individual to the nation and private to public, including all. However, the concept seems to exist only within laws and books. The dignity, that every menstruator possesses, regardless of their caste, creed, race, religion, disability, or any sexual orientation is a state of being free from any forms of abuse, discrimination, and violence associated with menstrual practices. And in a patriarchal nation like Nepal, men play a major role in maintaining and influencing dignity in menstruation.

However, what seems normal in the common practices of menstruation is the violation of basic human rights, which most people are not really aware of which commonly includes:

1. Right to health — When a woman is deprived of proper care and facilities during menstruation, especially because raising their voice for their needs is shameful, leads to negative health outcomes ultimately reducing their quality of life.
2. Right to education — According to research published in 2018 in India, 40% of adolescent girls remained absent during their period days due to pain, anxiety, shame, anxiety about leakage, and staining of their uniforms. The data does not seem to change much in figures in Nepal either. According to a survey conducted by Water Aid in 2009, lack of privacy, unavailability of sanitary disposable facilities, and water shortage also played a major role in absence of girls in school during their period.
3. Right to work — Poor access to water facilities and the prevalence of menstruation-related taboos in a workplace makes the working environment for a woman harder.
4. Right to gender equality — The stigmas that exist with menstruation intensifies the prevalence of gender inequality.
5. Right to water and sanitation — Water and sanitation facilities, such as bathing facilities, that are private, safe, and culturally acceptable, along with a sufficient, safe, and affordable water supply are basic prerequisites for managing menstrual health management.

The major reason for all the existing menstrual taboos, throughout the globe, is rooted under the single cause; The concept of ‘women being contaminated and impure during her menstrual cycle’, thus imposing restrictions in touching anything except her personal goods, attending cultural ceremonies like marriages or entering a temple, consequently limiting their mobility and actions. The stigma, however, can be easily explained. Humans have always been disgusted by body fluids, especially when it is someone else’s. And conceptually, it becomes ‘dirty’. Moreover, it has been ages since people are grossed out about the menstrual blood and passed on generations with the same. It can hence be attributed that people being flagrant about menstruation is only because of a lack of basic health education and awareness that it is a biological phenomenon like any other physiology within our body, says breathing. From the gross period talks to wrapping sanitary napkins in a newspaper, women have always been compelled to feel apologetic for the marvelous natural event occurring within them.

A short survey was conducted by Swastha Naari among young men to know their perspective on the role of men in menstruation. Most of them had perceived menstruation as a natural process in which women need emotional support from their family members rather than imposing restrictions on their needs. ‘The role of men should be in minimizing the stigmas related to menstruation, making people aware about the importance of health and hygiene during their periods, buying/providing menstruation products for their female partners, sisters, daughters, mothers and other members, creating the gender inclusive environment within the family and in the society, solving the problems faced by the girls/women and others who menstruate and advocating on gender inclusive environment in public places etc.’ says Nir Shrestha, 21. Similarly, when asked Sushant Acharya, 24 on the same, he says, ‘Men can create an environment in a family where women can be open about their menstruation. Rather than considering it solely as a women’s problem, men should be involved in the conversations to eradicate the misconceptions about menstruation and its associated discrimination. Men can help to make the provisions for the availability of menstrual products easier. In the context of Nepal, mainly in the rural areas, men are the sole earner in the family. So he should allocate a proper financial budget for menstrual products when asked by their wives and daughters considering reproductive health to be a basic aspect of their well-being.’

Apart from the psychosocial and economic support in the family, the same objective can be used in the community, school, office, and public places to root out the stigmatized concept enliven womanhood and expand their opportunities. Talking about menstrual hygiene management in school, proper access to water and sanitation facilities, pragmatic information on reproductive health, and most importantly, supportive and inspiring peers and guardians could help outstrip the grounds of menstrual stigmas that drowns the self-esteem of every menstruators. Rather than excluding males on educating them about female reproductive health and rights, with an unavailing view that the knowledge will be of no use in the future, different awareness programs and activities are needed to be conducted on the taboo that helps everyone understand the biological phenomenon and contribute to building a less stigmatized atmosphere.

Even talking about the role in the home and the community, open discussions between the family members can help allocate a proper budget towards menstrual hygiene management and set up well-facilitated bathrooms for proper hygiene. Challenging taboos, social norms, and stigmas around menstruation help in reducing gender inequality and exclusion. And talking about the practice of untouchability that prevails in menstrual practices, isolation has always, solely meant for rest and not as an epitome of being impure and we cannot agree more with regard to the current situation.

Nepal, a country where most of the major decisions are taken by men, their role in proper menstrual hygiene management is crucial, not pointless, and important for putting an end to the stigma. After all, as Harri Holkeri quotes, ‘Men and women have roles, their roles are different but their rights are equal.’