In a study done by UNICEF, 48% of girls in Iran and 10% of girls in India believe that menstruation is a disease. Moreover, 95% of girls in Nepal underwent restrictions during their first period with 44% of them observing the traditional practice of chaupadi, which views menstruating women as unclean and need to be confined to a shed away from their families.
Myths and misconceptions related to menstruation are still running in the bloodline of many communities in the world. In some parts of the world, being a girl and having periods is viewed with suspicion and shame and is still a huge undermining stigma with deep socio-economic consequences.
Is Menstruation A Scientific Phenomenon?
While the majority of people believe in the scientific notion that menstruation is caused by missed pregnancy following ovulation, whereby the thick endometrial walls of the uterus are shed off, bringing out menstrual flow, a lot of Indians still believe in mythological concepts on the origin of menstruation. Such myths are social and structural injustices perpetrated against women to control women’s sexuality and her being.
Impact Of Menstrual Myths
In communities where periods are still a taboo, a girl’s first period can be a tormenting introduction to puberty. In Ethiopia, more than half of adolescent girls don’t receive any education on menstruation before their first periods. The misconception behind it is that girls are no longer virgins when they start menstruating. Surprisingly, some are punished by parents who fault them for having sex or being raped. The myth lowers women’s intrinsic dignity.
Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that menstruation breaks women’s virginity. These convictions only fuel girls’ feelings of shame and embarrassment, sometimes forcing them to drop out of school. There is a need for comprehensive sexuality education to teach people that menstruation is a biological phenomenon which gives women the power of procreation.
Some Hindus believe that if a girl or a woman touches a cow while she is on her period, the cow will become infertile. The myth associates girls and women bodies with curse and impurity and dehumanizes them. Such myths encourage social injustice where women are discouraged from owning property and socio-economic empowerment. It also undermines the right of property ownership. Women should be viewed as good stewards and drivers of the economy and not to be associated with curse or impurity.
Perpetuated Taboos
“My grandma came to visit us, suddenly she sat me down and asked me where I do spend my nights, on pointing at my mother’s house, she immediately became cross and summoned my mother claiming it was a taboo for a girl of my age to sleep in my mother’s house.” Says Awuor, 13
“Menstruating girls don’t sleep in their mothers’ houses!” Exclaimed the irritated grandma.
Menstruate and forget sleeping in your mother’s house’ is an old and familiar narrative among the Asembo community in Kenya. The mythical narrative that menstruating girls should not sleep in their mothers’ house has run in the community for a long period of time. At this juncture, girls are considered unclean. This myth makes girls victims of their own bodies by making them feel less accepted in the society.
Menstruating girls and women should be treated with respect and dignity. There is a need to sensitize community members that menstruation is a healthy and biological process and should not be viewed with suspicion. Menstruating girls and women need adequate sanitation, sanitary products and a loving atmosphere.
The Bewitched Pads
“I have witnessed various cases of ladies who desperately wished their husbands could be more submissive, take their sanitary pads to witchdoctors to make concoctions for their husbands who would end up being over submissive to them.” Narrates Yvonne Oluoch, 20, Siaya, Kenya.
Kenyans believe that sanitary pads stained with blood have magical powers. This resembles Cherokee belief that menstrual blood is a source of feminine strength and has the power to destroy enemies. Likewise, in ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder wrote that a menstruating woman who uncovers her body could scare away hailstorms, whirlwinds and lightning.
Some organizations have done commendable work in busting period myths and accelerating menstrual hygiene education. UNICEF has developed a comic book which educates both boys and girls on menstruation. The book guides girls by telling them all they need to know about their periods and the associated period misconceptions. It also guides boys by teaching them about menstruation and how to support fellow girls.
Despite the progress, there is still much more to be done. There is a need to educate all genders on the importance of open dialogue on menstruation. Governments should support comprehensive sexuality education programmes, which busts misconceptions and negativity that surrounds the menstrual life cycle. Women cannot steer development around the world if their menstrual health is not treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Okoth Paul Okoth is the Kenyan Regional Ambassador to Tunza Eco-generation. He is part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program and an intern with Youth Cafe.