NORMALIZING MENSTRUATION WITH MEN

 

In this modern era of technology, science, and development, we as a nation have not been able to get rid of the big taboo associated with women, “menstruation”. We still believe that during “those” days a woman is so unclean and impure that pickles rot if she touches them, and the lifespan of the husband of a married woman diminishes if she comes in contact with him! YES, WE STILL HAVE THIS THINKING!! The Govt., different organizations, NGOs are all taking rigorous steps and launching different campaigns to educate women and raise awareness among them on the importance of menstrual hygiene. But what about the menfolk – how educated are they about this aspect??

An immediate question on this would be that menstruation or ‘periods’ is a woman’s issue so why should the men know about it? Well, imagine a situation where a girl, traveling with her male colleagues, is completely unaware of her stained dress due to the early onset of her periods. What should be her condition now? It was so surprising to me when I came across an educated man (working in a respectable position in Guwahati), who was oblivious to what a woman actually goes through during the monthly cycles! And here we don’t even want to talk about issues like PCODs, upturned uterus, weak uterus, and so on.

Being educated in an all-girls convent, I had seen many girls get their first periods and attain puberty in school and I had seen many horrified, disgusted, and shy faces even then – so how would the situation be if a girl in a co-educational institution?! On one hand, there are reports of a boy offering his jacket to a fellow passenger to cover her blood-stained skirt, boys suggesting and buying medicines like Miftel when they see their classmates suffering from period cramps. On the other, there are experiences recounted by women being retorted and rebuked at by young boys, with questions like, “We know girls are stupid. But how stupid are you not to realize that your dress is stained?!”

This difference in behavior of men and boys towards menstruating women in India is probably because of the lack of awareness and sensitization in men for this sensitive issue during their upbringing. We as a society in India are rapidly evolving and trying to get rid of the illogical myths and traditions which donot make sense – in short, we are trying to be more rational than traditional. It is natural for the parents, especially mothers of girls to teach their daughters about the monthly cycles so as to make them aware and vigilant. It is equally important for the mothers of young boys to make them aware of the biological cycle of girls in a rational and scientific manner. We have all heard of the statement “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women (Al:Quran)”. Then how are the men supposed to protect and maintain the “so-called weaker gender” if they are unaware and irrational towards this natural, biological cycle of women? With late marriages, hormonal problems, and stressful lifestyles, a lot of young couples tend to discuss “women’s problems” before marriage so that conception and childbirth-related issues remain sorted between them. But this comes much later in life!

Sensitization towards menstruation and other gender-related problems are of utmost necessity in today’s time for both boys and girls. These are biological and natural processes – nothing to be ashamed of. If every boy is raised with this knowledge from a young age, especially in India, there will be more respect in their minds for women, and we would be able to get rid of the irrational practices and myths associated with menstruation in a much better way on a larger scale! So the question is now – are we and the mothers of boys ready to sensitize our young boys about menstruation, without considering it as a “taboo”?