The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MUJ chapter.
Periods and Indian society usually don’t go hand in hand. The ever-conservative Indian society has always been at odds when the whole period talk starts, they try to hush the conversation or talk in whisper. Even going to extreme measures to make sure that the sanitary pad packet is perfectly sealed and packed as if it just doesn’t contain a sanitary napkin but rather an RDX. But why do we think so? Why do we think that period in general is such a taboo or rather a big stereotype. There are 3.95 billion women in this world, out of which 1.8 billion of us menstruate every month actively, but periods are still a prejudice we don’t wish to address.
According to the American Psychological Association, prejudice is “a negative attitude toward another person or group formed in advance of any experience with that person or group.” Too much psychology here but it is true. Most of us girls were taught very vaguely about periods, we were taught not to say it out loud or never to speak about it in front of our fathers or any male relatives. At that it used to seem as if it is our own little secret that no boy should know about. Boys on the other hand, were a very different case, if you had an older sister or a very open-minded mother you were taught about periods, but if they didn’t it was another case.
In a society as reluctant as ours, the talk of menstrual leave may seem absurd to a lot of people. Questions like why women even need it, how come it is even fair to their male co-workers or if they take so many leaves every month should they even be eligible for promotions at work. I know the questions above may make you feel too enraged but that is the reality, these are the things which have been asked for the longest time. A fairly larger section of the society today is not just sceptical about menstrual leave but rather wary of it, they believe that if at some point of time it became applicable women would once again be reduced to be defined by their reproductive organ and the years that they have spent in making them be recognized as just humans will be decreased to nothing. This fear of inequality has been a major concern for the majority of people. But is it also okay to let women go through the immense discomfort and distress while being in their periods and working at the same time.
The challenge in implementing such a large amount of leave to every female worker is difficult but not an impossible idea. Countries like South Korea and Japan have implemented these laws and they are following a new pattern of work life culture through which we can take inspiration from. If these laws are implemented correctly, it can open doors for normalised conversation about periods, encourage workplace inclusivity and better health policies for women. These laws can also help in reducing the constantly growing prejudice against periods which will also lead to more periods accepting society.
India is making some remarkable progress in being more accepting towards periods, especially in urban areas and middle-class populations. Odisha has become the first state in India which has implemented the law of one day menstrual leave for women in both private and government sectors. A first step in the series of more small steps which are going to make a bigger impact in our lives. This narrative of shame and prejudice has reigned for such a long time that it will be difficult to change it.
This process will take a long time to happen, but the only way we can do this is through education. Teaching young kids in school about menstruation, having open discussions in the workplace are some very important steps which will help us to break this cycle of shame and prejudice. Making young children understand that it is a natural process not a secret to be kept is one of the first steps towards a more inclusive society. A society where women don’t have to choose between their health and their aspirations. A society where menstrual leave isn’t a privilege but a basic right.
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