Yes I agree that menstruation is not a disability but there are girls who go through severe pain during the day. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani words can have a larger impact on how menstruation is viewed in our society, increase victimization of those going through painful menstrual symptoms and continue to stigmatize women in our country.
A study by an NGO says 23 Million girls drop out of school annually due to a lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities, which include the availability of sanitary pads and information about menstruation. Young girls and women face period-bullying, because we refuse to acknowledge nor talk about the challenges associated with menstruation.
In a country where blue ink was used for decades as a visual depiction for blood in sanitary pads, today we are having conversations on menstrual leave and menopause. Yet this is primarily happening in pockets of mostly urban India. Bihar and Kerala are the only Indian states that have introduced menstrual leave policies for women.
While menstruation is a natural biological process, we know that many of us experience excruciating pain and discomfort during periods and this can vary from month to month and person to person. The pain is real, especially for those enduring dysmenorrhea, PCOS, endometriosis, pre-menopause and can cause extreme physical and emotional discomfort.
Historically workplaces have been build by cisgender men, for cisgender men. That narrative needs to change, our workplaces today are diverse hence policies, benefits and programs needs to be designed to support this. When organisation recognise and advocate for change it challenges stigma and drives wider understanding in men. The private/corporate sectors can be pioneers in enabling this shift.