GRSJ224/Menstruation: Perspectives In India

Introduction to Menstruation

Menstruation is a natural biological cycle that women undergo. Most women start getting their period between the ages of 11 to 14 which last for 4 to 8 days. In a nutshell, two hormones - oestrogen and progesterone control the menstrual cycle. These two hormones enable the eggs in the ovaries to mature, become fertilised by sperm, and even make the lining of the uterus more vascular. When an egg is matured, it is released through the process of ovulation. However, when a woman is not pregnant, the vascular lining is not required and thus starts to break down which is what the blood is during a woman's menstruation cycle.

Menstruation in India

Women in India who are on their period are often seen as "impure" or "unclean", so much that they are told not to pray at a temple, or partake in any religious events and even not to enter the kitchen. Therefore, women on their period in India are often ashamed because they have internalized these beliefs. This causes them to hide their period and restrict their participation in normative cultural behaviors. Due to the numerous religions, the masking of menstruation remains stagnant however the reasons differ based on their teachings.

Religion

Hinduism

Hinduism is one of the largest practiced religions in India, accounting for nearly 80% of the population. Thus, a large percentage of the whole population has been ingrained with certain reasons for their beliefs as fuelled by Hindu teachings. It is believed that women started their "Rajaswala Dosha" (menstruation) when Lord Indra (King of the Gods) beheaded Vishwaroopacharya. When he killed Vishwaroopacharya, who was a Brahmin - a caste in India - he got "Brahmahatya Dosha" and in order to rid himself of this, he spread it to the elements in the world. This included the land, sea, earth and women. It is from this that women started menstruating every month and gained the ability to conceive and birth a child.

Moreover, in Indian yogic philosophy, there are three qualities of which one is Tamas (black). All bodily excretions including tears and sweat are seen as dark and adverse and therefore, touching a woman who is menstruating is seen as a dark and adverse act. This has lingered in the country even today, such that a woman who touches a basil plant, which is a holy plant, is seen as committing a sin and eradicating its holiness by contaminating it with her "unclean" body. This also manifests to locations, so a woman who is menstruating cannot enter a temple. In some regions of India, women between the ages of 10-50 regardless of whether they are menstruating are not permitted entry. In modern times, there is a shift in women's mentality regarding their restrictions. Some women enter religious areas even while they are menstruating and some enter a few days after it has begun. Women also recognize that a reason that they could be asked not to enter in earlier times was because of the lack of development for sanitary products however now with recent technology, the issue of cleanliness is not valid.

Christianity

In the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, a woman who is menstruating is also considered unclean. Just as in Hinduism, a menstruating woman is restricted access to any holy essence, in Christianity, women cannot touch the Bible or any other religious symbols. There are fewer traces of this seen today and the ostracization that a menstruating Christian woman might feel is less compared to Hindu women. Therefore, the overall outlook on menstruation is less extreme but in some smaller pockets of the religion outside of India, there is evidence of negative perceptions.

Islam

Islam's perception on menstruation is relatively neutral. When the Qu'aran refers to "pure individuals", it does not specifically refer to menstruating women but any individual in a state of ritual impurity whether it is a male or female. There is nothing in the Qu'aran that refers to a woman as "dirty" who is menstruating, in fact, they advocate for the blood as "healthy". Islam sees menstruation as a way of connecting her body and enabling pregnancy and therefore, it is seen as a chance for women to conceive more pious children. Moreover, Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) gives advice to his comrades by telling them to interact with women as normal while they are menstruating except for the fact that they cannot engage in sexual intercourse.

Sikhism

Guru Nanak looked down upon individuals who perceived women on their periods as impure. Menstruating women are allowed to enter the Gurdwaras and pray as they wish. They are also free to reside wherever they wish and are permitted to leave the house at their will. All the Gurus heavily reject all counts of sexism even in subtle forms and celebrates the woman as she is without stripping her away from her natural body. Guru Nanak claims that all those individuals who believe that a menstruating woman is pollution in a form is polluted in the mind because of their narrow-mindedness. One reason for this could be because compared to the 3 religions mentioned above, it is fairly new and thus has come into existence during the advancements in technology for sanitation and is also not superseded by any superstition or false beliefs.

Culture

Activism

India has partaken in a series of protests against mistreatment of women during their menstruation. One example of this is the ban on the 12% tax on sanitary products as it was seen as a "Blood Tax" because of how natural and biological menstruation is. Women do not choose to get their periods nor can they do much to not get it at all and thus, taxing a product that at its core is a necessity is unfair and illogical.

Furthermore, numerous well-read Indians and others around the world recognise that taboos on physiological processes limit education opportunities for women. This education is crucial not only because it is important to be aware of your own body but also because it allows a great deal of leeway for individuals to fall into behaviours without knowing the full extent to their implications, like sexual activities.

Activists like Puja Maurya go door-to-door attempting to empower and educate young girls on extremely important aspects of their bodies. She also speaks about the advantages of using eco-friendly sanitary napkins and teaches them how to correctly use and dispose of them. Although Puja and other activists often face backlash and have to fight decades worth of misinformation, they continue striving and aim to break some of these pillars down. These practices of going to individual doors are seen by others too, some including Kailash Brijwasi who founded a company called Uger which manufactures reusable sanitary products, amongst others. Students are also protesting by covering their campus' nature (trees) with sanitary products and messages that depict the urgency and requirement of gender equality.

Women, men, students and all other individuals through NGO's or otherwise are speaking up more and more to break these myths, taboos and stigmas about menstruation.

Menstrual Hygiene

Prices of Sanitary Products

In 2017, sanitary pads in India used to be taxed 12%. Based on the Goods and Services Tax, some essential products won't be taxed as part of the plan such as condoms and contraceptives however sanitary pads were taxed heavily. This caused a great deal of resistance about the taxes on sanitary products because it indicates that sanitary products are not essential. In response to this Indian lawmaker, Sushmita Dev called for a petition to be signed to eliminate the tax which was signed by more than 400,000 people. This petition was given to the Finance Minister of India with change.org and was also tied to a group called SheSays which aims to end sexism or discrimination based on genders. Unfortunately, the finance ministry did not respond to these pleas.

In 2018, the GST was scrapped.

Accessibility of Sanitary Products

According to Darsa, one of India's leading NGO's, 200 million girls are left uneducated about basic menstrual hygiene. Around 90% of women use alternatives to sanitary products like rags, sand, ash, wood shavings, newspapers and dried leaves. A great deal of this is because of the lack of accessibility to the correct products required. These taboos have created huge challenges for women and even created an atmosphere that demonstrates acceptance to shunning these girls through methods like not providing adequate bathrooms.

In addition to this, there are inequalities regarding access to sanitary products in rural India. According to India's National Family Health Survey, more than 50% of Indian women between the ages of 15 - 24 do not have access to the correct resources. There are millions of women in impoverished India who use rags and other unhealthy alternatives. This also causes girls to drop out of school, limit their growth and diminish their chances of entering a productive workforce. In a more short-term context, these unhygienic products often lead to diseases which is why the activists mentioned above are crucial in producing low-cost good quality sanitary products and ensuring that they get to the households that require them.

Media

Period: End of a Sentence

This documentary highlights the struggles that women in rural India feel because of the stigma surrounding menstruation and their quest to begin manufacturing sanitary products. This film centers around a group of women who are learning how to produce low-cost sanitary products that they can sell to other women at affordable prices to ensure that girls remain in school and continue pursuing their education.

This film was received extremely well by the public, not just in India, but worldwide. It won an Oscar and numerous other awards for its brilliant reach and ability to raise awareness on the short and long-term effects of rejecting the normality of menstruation. When a narrative as such is pushed, it resonates with women all around the world and allows successes like the exemption of taxation possible.