Did you know that one in four girls in India, aged between 10 and 19 years, miss their schools and colleges due to menstruation? More than the number, what is heart-wrenching is the reason behind it. According to the recent meta-analysis of 138 studies done involving 97,070 girls from across the country, they miss schools due to lack of changing rooms and unavailability of water and cleaning facilities. It is true that the country talks about becoming a superpower and yet lacks basic amenities in schools.
A 2019 report by Dasra, a development organisation, reveals that 23 million girls drop out of school every year due to lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities. Most of the schools do not even ensure the availability of sanitary pads for the students. A recent UNICEF study also pointed out that over 71% of adolescent girls remain unaware of their menstrual cycle until they get their first period. Many of them drop out of school after getting periods.
Apart from the lack of basic facilities like access to toilets, sanitary pads and clean water, one needs to understand that social stigmas, taboos and harassment also play a vital role in their dropping out.
Understanding Menstruation
Menstruation, commonly referred to as a period, is a complex but natural process that a woman’s body goes through every month. Every month, a woman’s body prepares for pregnancy. Hormones thicken the lining of the uterus and cause the ovaries to release eggs. The egg moves to the fallopian tube and waits for sperm. When it does not receive any sperm or the sperm fails to fertilise the egg, the uterus sheds its lining. The lining in turn flows through your cervix and is pushed out of a woman’s body through the vagina. Vaginal bleeding, which is partly blood and tissues, usually lasts for about three to five days.
Besides bleeding, a woman also experiences symptoms like lower back pain, abdominal or pelvic cramping pain, food cravings, mood changes, irritability, bloating, sore breasts, headache and fatigue. Some women and girls also experience premenstrual symptoms (PMS) like headache, abdominal cramps, leg pain, fatigue, irritability and mood change.
The entire cycle from the first day of a woman’s period until the first day of her next period is called the menstrual cycle. The average length of a menstrual cycle is 28 days, though it varies slightly for every woman. The first period usually starts between 11 and 14 years. It will go on till a woman crosses 50 years and attains menopause.
Why do Girls Miss School during Menstruation?
Menstruation is a natural and healthy process and it is vital for both physical and emotional health. Yet, many women and adolescent girls dread it. Even today, when more than two billion women around the world menstruate, many of them prefer not to attend schools and restrict themselves within the walls of their houses due to numerous reasons. The important ones are discussed below.
- Taboo and stigma: Menstruation has always been a taboo subject in Indian society. It is not discussed openly in families, schools or communities. According to a study conducted by UNICEF and WHO, more than 60% of schools do not provide menstrual health education. It means that lakhs of girls are unaware and unprepared for their first period. Even today, people, especially men, hesitate to purchase sanitary napkins and even the purchased napkins are well covered with multiple layers of paper. They also refuse to open up regarding the pain or discomfort caused during periods and suffer silently. This in turn leads to diagnosing bigger problems in later stages. The lack of open discussion on menstruation creates an environment of shame and embarrassment. This makes girls feel uncomfortable and reluctant to attend school during their period.
- Cultural beliefs: Several Indian communities continue to see menstruation as a sign of impurity even today. As a result, they are prohibited from entering temples or puja rooms at their houses. In many communities, menstruating women are prohibited from entering their own house and are made to stay during the period at a temporary shelter in their locality. Many are secluded and even prevented from attending family gatherings. In many other communities, they are prohibited from entering kitchens or touching any household things. Many also believe that pickles and other preserved items will decay if they are touched by menstruating women. The concept of menstrual blood being dirty leads to an association of menstruation with shame.
- Lack of hygiene management facilities in schools: Several studies and surveys have repeatedly pointed out that numerous schools, including government and private schools, lack proper toilets on their premises. Not just that, if they have toilet buildings, then they lack toilet doors. If the building is proper, then they don’t have access to clean water or sanitary napkins. It is always either one or more things at schools. This, coupled with social stigma, has forced girl students to stop attending schools during their periods. According to a World Bank report, girls miss up to four consecutive days of school every month because of their periods. It means that they miss about 10 to 20% of their school time and it in turn will have a serious impact on their education.
Studies report that at least 23% of rural girls are dropping out of schools after they start getting their periods. Though the percentage of dropouts is not this high in urban areas, experts point out that dropout rates do exist in those areas, as well. This in turn encourages child labor and child marriages. Also, due to a lack of proper menstrual hygiene, a significant percentage of women develop infections and diseases, including reproductive tract infections (RTIs). Today, India is home to thousands of such silent sufferers.
Understanding Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School Girls policy
The Indian government has recently informed the apex court that it has framed a ‘Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School Girls.’ The policy has also received approval from the union health ministry. Subsequently, they have sought time to seek public opinion on this policy.
- The Menstrual Hygiene policy aims to change attitudes and behaviour related to menstruation among school-going girls by mainstreaming menstrual hygiene within the educational system.
- It aims to overcome the existing barriers that limit their mobility and prevent them from taking part in daily activities. It seeks to create awareness about menstruation and its hygiene among girls.
- The government has decided to provide uninterrupted access to menstrual hygiene products, including sanitary napkins, free of cost for girls in classes between VI and XII.
- It wants to dispel harmful social norms and encourage safe menstrual hygiene practices.
- It also focuses on disposing of used napkins in an environmentally friendly way.
- It advocates for separate female toilet facilities in all government, government-aided and residential schools.
Since the Menstrual Hygiene Policy aims to address the core issues related to menstruation, it is expected to reduce absenteeism among girls in schools. By retaining girls in school, the country as a whole could move forward towards empowering women and social and economic development.
Though it is the 21st century where talks about women’s empowerment and gender equality are at their peak, deep-drenched stigma and cultural norms attached with menstruation and menstruating women continue to exist even today. It is high time steps need to be taken to encourage open talk among young girls and ensure menstrual hygiene is followed properly. This is one of the ways forward for the society to have mentally and physically strong women.
Menstruation, a natural and vital process, continues to be surrounded by stigma, misinformation and lack of access to basic hygiene facilities in India. Millions of school-going girls miss classes or drop out due to inadequate sanitation, social taboos and limited awareness. Recognising this critical issue, one of the components of Smile Foundation‘s women empowerment initiative focuses on breaking the silence surrounding menstruation and empowering young girls through education and support.
The programme combines awareness sessions with practical interventions, teaching girls about menstrual health and hygiene while addressing cultural taboos and fostering open dialogue. We engage communities to shift deeply ingrained societal norms that marginalise menstruating girls, encouraging inclusivity.
It works to create an ecosystem where young girls are educated, empowered and encouraged to stay in school, paving the way for stronger, healthier and more informed women in society.