Ending the period of shame
Why are we ashamed to talk about our menstrual cycle? This is a question that I frequently ask myself. Who hasn’t had one of those days that if you cough, sneeze or even laugh you gush such a load of blood that can go through your tampon, your pad and stain your clothes? Why are we walking around and still not talking about it? Blood clot, after blood clot, after blood clot. There is an immensity of shame that we carry related to our menstrual cycle.
We’re simply not talking enough about it. In Ancient Greece, and the patriarchal society in which women’s role was primarily reproductive, discussing subjects as our periods and the impact that they have on our life was completely unreachable. Yet, in our modern days, I wonder how much do we actually understand our bodies and have a safe space to share and talk openly about our periods.
This past October, an English female football team announced that their players would no longer wear their white shorts as part of their home kit. The decision came after the female players’ feedback and the underlying topic of women wanting to move away from wearing white shorts while on their periods. Other clubs also followed the change in the kit colour. The aim here was for them to feel comfortable when playing if they’re having their period, rather than worrying their shorts would stain and everybody could see the blood spill in case they have an accident.
It is great to see that our voice is being heard and change is happening. Any small change counts. However, we need to shine a light on the lack of menstrual hygiene management in developing countries that are resulting in school absenteeism among adolescent girls. According to Zana Africa Foundation and Kenya’s Ministry of Health, one million girls in the country miss up to six weeks of school each year due to a lack of sanitary towels and girls drop out of school at twice the rate of boys as a result.
Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and practices should include the distribution of clean sanitary materials, necessary changing of these materials for the duration of the menstrual cycle, the required use of soap and clean water for body washing, appropriate disposal of used materials and an educational program to teach girls about their menstrual cycle.
MHM is particularly challenging in developing countries and has not only health, but educational outcomes. Some studies have shown that up to 87% of girls use old clothes and rags as absorbent materials, and these aren’t properly washed before re-using. This as well as lack of clean, functional, private and gender-specific facilities are associated with girls missing school. There’s embarrassment, fear of being ridiculed, together with menstrual pain and lack of sanitary materials. That’s not only impacts the psychosocial wellbeing of girls by affecting their confidence and dignity, but also their academic experience through participation and performance at school.
This has to change! And it needs to start now. The more we talk about it, the more it will connect us all. It is through story sharing that we learn. Stories of our first periods, of traumatic moments and of embarrassing ones too. This can lead to ideas. Ideas can lead to projects, and projects can lead to change.
