Lifting the taboo on menstruation

Menstruation (colloquially referred to as ‘periods’) is a universal and natural experience in a women’s life, but the meaning given to menstruation, vary across different countries. In some cultures, menstruation is celebrated as a symbol of womanhood while some see it partly as a physiological mechanism to eliminate bodily toxins. But in many South Asian countries’ menstruation is associated with varying levels of morbidity and is treated as a period of impurity during which women are excluded from certain daily routines and religious or other ceremonial activities.

Many countries, including Sri Lanka have a long way to go in achieving gender equality. Despite limited progressive measures taken in recent years, based on the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, Sri Lanka lags behind ranked at 102 out of 153 countries in the gender equality index. Gender stereotypes and outdated cultural norms inhibiting women in Sri Lanka act as barriers to equal education and employment. One of the biggest aspects of gender discrimination is a lack of access to safe and affordable menstrual hygiene.

Cultural stigma towards menstruation is a driving factor for many discriminatory practices in Sri Lanka. In 2015, according to a survey done by the UNICEF, in Sri Lanka more than 50% of young girls do not attend school during menstruation partly due to the fear of being victimized, and another study found that around 60% of teachers thought menstrual blood was impure. This indicates the grave impact cultural misapprehensions can have on a girl’s education and thus her ability to participate in the economy in the future.

Menstruation, like many other gendered issues targeting women, is a highly stigmatised issue. Resultingly, there is a large amount of misinformation and a widespread absence of knowledge regarding menstruation among the public including women. A lack of access to sanitary products coupled with an overall lack of education on menstruation is known as ‘period poverty’.

The issue of period poverty is very common in Sri Lanka, where a majority population is female. The social stigma surrounding periods is so severe that 60% of parents state that they will not allow their daughters to go to school during their menstrual cycles. Studies found that a staggering 80% of teachers still believe the old-fashioned myth that one should avoid bathing during menstruation. The lack of awareness even among teachers, indicates why the stigma around menstruation and period poverty is highly prevalent in the country.

Locally produced sanitary towels typically sell between Rs. 120-175. Imported brands can go up to Rs. 350, putting them out of reach for most women, making it a luxury when it should be considered an essential good. This is due to the high tax imposed on imported pads.

Up until September of 2018, the levy on imported menstrual products was more than 100%. Although the tax was brought down to around 63% in 2019 and to 52% later in 2020, it is still considerably high. When an essential item such as sanitary napkins remain unaffordable for a majority, it discourages girls from attending school during their menstrual cycles disrupting their education and causing inequality in education, which will thus contribute to discrimination in employment in the future. It is important to note that in 2021, the government did initiate a project to provide free sanitary products to 800,000 schoolgirls in rural areas. This is commendable progress regarding this issue, since many girls are otherwise forced to miss school during their menstrual cycles, which is detrimental to their education

The inaccessibility to menstrual hygiene products due to unaffordability leads to many women having to resort to makeshift replacements such as using old cloth which is unhygienic and unsafe. This paves the way for poor menstrual hygiene which can cause reproductive tract infections, and even lead to cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer amongst women in Sri Lanka.

The unaffordability of menstrual hygiene products is proven to have direct consequences on women’s participation in the labour force. A study on apparel workers in Bangladesh found that providing subsidized menstrual hygiene products resulted in a drop in absence of female workers and an increase in overall productivity. 

Stigmatising periods worsens the impact of period poverty by creating an overall negative attitude towards menstruation. There is a strong tendency for most women and young girls to hide their purchase of pads. In a survey conducted by the UNICEF, between 51-62% girls are under the impression that discussing their period is wrong. Some stores even sell the products masking their identity due to the negativity surrounding the purchase of pads. This perceived public embarrassment discourages buyers from questioning its price or quality, even when prices are unreasonably high.

For Sri Lanka to make significant progress in achieving gender equality, we must urgently confront the cultural stigma surrounding menstruation and the inaccessibility of menstrual hygiene products for many women and girls, especially in rural areas.

The local sanitary napkin market is dominated in Sri Lanka by a few brands. It can be argued that high taxes are imposed to protect these companies. However, sanitary napkin exports only contribute a mere Rs. 25.16 million or about 0.001% of total exports. And, reducing the tax rate, on imported pads can even encourage local companies to pursue offering lower prices. It could increase competition and lead to local manufacturers innovating better quality products to ensure their prices and products remain competitive for local consumers.

Recently, products such as ‘Sinidu’ have entered the market, which is a locally made affordable brand of sanitary pads which according to studies would reduce average expenditure on pads to 1.2% of a woman’s salary (as opposed to the 4% they would have to spend on exported brands).

In order to make long-term progress what is most critical is removing the social stigma around menstruation. The negative societal view of a woman’s biological function and considering it to be a taboo must change. A basic school level education should suffice in normalising unwarrantedly stigmatised issues such as menstruation. It should be noted that raising awareness among the entire population is equally important, since men, similar to women too have the responsibility of being aware of what menstruation is, as it is vital to ensuring the common good of the society.

In a survey that was conducted only 7% - 12% young girls claimed to not have any information about menstruation prior to their first menstrual cycle and over 10% of adolescent girl students claimed that they obtained this information through awareness programmes conducted by their School Health committees. This is critical as it showcases that a significant proportion of female students are not educated on menstruation at home. This shows why it is crucial that schools continue conducting such awareness programmes as it can be used as a tool to diminish the overall disparity in awareness on menstruation. Misconceptions such as considering menstruation to be a symbol of impurity can be addressed in the long-term by creating a high-level of education and open-mindedness among school children.

Gender equality, just like other forms of equality, can only be achieved by dismantling the structures that harm a society’s most vulnerable members. Making sanitary napkins an essential good available for every girl and woman should not be a topic that’s up for debate. It is our duty to ensure that we eliminate the stigma surrounding menstruation.

References:

https://www.borgenmagazine.com/lack-of-proper-menstrual-hygiene-in-sri-lanka/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-women-health-feature/pad-women-the-all-female-business-easing-period-poverty-in-sri-lanka-idUSKCN1RG039

https://economynext.com/the-cost-of-being-a-sri-lankan-woman-menstrual-hygiene-is-very-expensive-57095/

file:///C:/Users/DELL/Downloads/MenstrualProblemsandHealthSeekinginSriLanka.pdf

https://www.advocata.org/commentary-archives/2019/05/28/its-bloody-unfair

https://srilanka.unfpa.org/en/news/breaking-stigma-menstruation

https://www.unicef.org/srilanka/media/666/file/Knowledge,%20Attitudes,%20Practices%20Behavior%20(KAPB)%20Study%20on%20School%20WASH%20program.pdf

https://borgenproject.org/period-poverty-in-sri-lanka/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03630240903238636?journalCode=wwah20

http://www.themorning.lk/free-pads-for-800000-students-in-2021/

By: Rtr. Dulithi Jagoda, BSc. Economics and Finance, 2nd Year

Rtr. Alex Rajapakse, LLB, 1st Year

Rtr. Amaya Wijesingha, LLB, 2nd Year