The purpose of this article is to be informative and share issues around the world, this article in particular regarding the connection between the education of girls worldwide and the stigmatization of menstruation.
In countries around the world, gender inequality is withholding girls from the classroom. Alongside child marriage and question of girls’ safety, menstruation is one of the leading reasons as to why girls drop out of school or may not even enter a classroom at all.
100 million out of the estimated 130 million girls not attending school worldwide are in the age range for attending high school. Periods are believed to be one of the greatest hinderances regarding young girls and their education. Stigma, lack of sanitary products, and lack of separate bathrooms are some of the largest reasons why girls’ periods come between them and their education. In southern Asia, four out of five school age girls will not enter the classroom in comparison with the two out of five boys who will be neglected an education.
In many countries, such as Uganda, India, Tanzania, Burundi, Bangladesh, and more, periods are stigmatized. According to GlobalCitizen.org, the number of girls in India who drop out of school after getting their periods is around one out of five, but that number can rocket to four out of five in some areas of the country. In some countries it is believed that girls who are on their periods should not touch food or cook because it will make the food go bad, or even go so far as to say that menstrual blood can kill people if it comes in contact with them. Menstruation has been demonized and therefore so has the young girl who is menstruating.
Sanitary materials such as pads are often too expensive or unavailable to women, which would result in young girls staying home during menstruation as opposed to being in school. UNESCO suggest that close to 88% of women have no access to sanitary products at all, resulting in the use of unsanitary materials such as rags or even sawdust. GlobalCitizen.org suggests the use of unsanitary products puts 70% of the users of these products at “risk of severe infection.” In India, one sanitary napkin costs between 8 and 20 cents, and when the majority of the Indian population is living on less than two American dollars per day, that is a luxury many cannot afford. In the United States, women that live below the poverty line or are a part of the homeless population struggle with access to sanitary menstrual products as well. Homeless shelters reveal that menstrual products are highly-requested, but much of the time it is difficult to go about requesting those products.
It has been statistically proven that girls who stay in school tend to wait longer to get married, enter the workforce in higher paying positions, and have fewer children as compared to women who are married early and do not finish their education. Menstruation, a natural and healthy part of a woman’s life, should not hold a young woman back from her education.
Sources:
https://www.plan.org.au/learn/who-we-are/blog/2016/05/30/menstruation-matters
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/india-to-control-prices-of-sanitary-pads/
https://store.lunette.com/blogs/news/periods-and-prisons-in-the-us
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000245238
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/menstrual-hygiene-day-education/