Tomorrow, on May 28th, the Green Feminine Hygiene Queen blog will join the first ever global “Menstrual Hygiene Day,” an event where 90 organizations from around the world come together to break the silence and taboo around menstruation. I’m sure many of us can relate to feeling shame about our bodies particularly when we first started our periods. There’s the cheesy TV ads and all sorts of products to hide “odors” and make us feel like we are dirty beings. Periods are always an easy (lazy) joke and target in our pop culture. However when you read about how women and girls all over the world are isolated from their communities during menstruation, banned from schools and are not educated at all by family or school about their periods, it puts things in perspective.
Menstrual Hygiene Day aims to highlight how not only menstrual taboos and silence are keeping women back from opportunity and achievement, but that lack of accessible menstrual products is a major factor as well. Their website explains:
As one schoolgirl from Bettiah, India explains, “I hate menstruation because I have to miss my school during those days and I love my school. My school does not have any facilities where I can change and dispose menstrual waste. On those days my mother always forces me to stay at home.” A study at a school in Uganda found that half of the girl pupils missed 1-3 school days a month, or 8-24 school days a year…Missing school and productive workdays due to menstruation causes poor and marginalised women and girls to miss out on life opportunities. In one study, 73% of the Bangladeshi garment workers interviewed missed work for an average of 6 days per month (resulting in unpaid work days) due to vaginal infections caused by using extra cloth collected from the factory floors.
Even if the human conscience aspect doesn’t motivate people (especially politicians, legislations and decisionmakers who are often male), from an economic standpoint having an educated workforce that includes women is a solid financial investment. There is some good news though as we are seeing countries like Kenya, India and Uganda with social enterprises and small women-run businesses to manufacture and sell menstrual products.
The question posed above is a reality for many women in countries around the world. As mentioned, girls stop going to school because of their periods and these are often in communities where other barriers exist to education including cost, location, family responsibilities, gender roles and access. There are some existing campaigns where you can give directly to girls and women in numerous countries, check out this list. Additionally, this excellent post on AdiosBarbie also mentions how incarcerated women in the United States have to buy pads and tampons from the commissary leading women to prostitution in exchange for pads, or feminine hygiene products are rationed because of budget cuts.
There’s a conversation happening right now about paid menstrual leave for women. A company in Taiwan gives their employees three days of extra menstrual leave and thus we are having more societal conversations about periods. Let’s note that while this is a question in some countries, there are many places around the world where women cannot work during their periods as in the example above. Either way, it’s disturbing that fear and disdain for a natural biological process has such an adverse effect on women’s lives and society as a whole.
On a personal level, we can also take a look at our own ideas and beliefs about menstruation and our bodies. Are there ways in we hold ourselves back for loving our bodies and how they work? I know when we are dealing with cramps, bloating, PMS, being caught out without a tampon, and overflowing pads, it’s hard to love our periods. But there were ancient cultures, as noted in The Shaman in the Woman’s Body, where men were fascinated by women’s menstrual cycles. In their eyes, since women could bleed for days without dying it meant they were powerful beings. Men in these cultures even cut their own penises to “simulate” women’s menstrual cycles. Say what?! I’m not saying we need that extreme response but can you imagine a society where menstruation was revered?
One way that we can honor our bodies and our menstrual cycles is to use products that are good for our bodies. Our goal at Maxim Hygiene is to make sure women have safe and sustainable menstrual hygiene options. We recognize that this is a privilege compared to our sisters around the world. However, if we have the resources to access safer 100% organic, hypoallergenic, chloride/dioxin free, earth-friendly pads and tampons, it’s a wise move that our bodies (and the planet) will be thankful for.
If you want to get involved locally, visit the Menstrual Hygiene Day site to learn more about events in your area and to participate online follow the hashtag #MenstruationMatters on social media to join the conversation. Above is an infographic with some important facts and context about global menstruation, please share with your world!