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IASEW study discusses discrimination menstruating women face even at home

All the women admitted that they were prevented from offering and accepting religious services and touching religious books

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A study by the Indian Academy of Self Employed Women (IASEW) and the Mahila Housing Trust in three villages of Sanand Taluka has brought to fore an open secret of Indian homes pertaining to women and menstruation.

The study assessed the troubles, discrimination and blind faith that menstruating women deal with. It covered Kotat, Nidhrad, and Sanathal villages of Sanand taluka in Ahmedabad and talked to 53 adolescent girls and 68 women.

The study found that women in the villages were forced to arrange for separate bedding while menstruating and were required to wash the bed, bedding, and clothes after three days to ensure they are accepted back in society after menstruation.

All the women admitted that they were prevented from offering and accepting religious services and touching religious books.

Basanti Khanayak, one of the teachers who conducted the group discussion for the survey, said despite all the taboos, menstruation guaranteed no respite from daily chores. "While they are not allowed inside the kitchen, they are expected to do other work. More importantly, the girls found it strange that despite so much secrecy around menstruation, the differential treatment during 'those' days meant anyone and everyone would know about their 'condition', which they found very embarrassing," said Khanayak.

Some other superstitions say that touching grains, pickles, and other food items may contaminate it, which is why a lot of women aren't allowed to enter the kitchen while in their periods.

Most of the surveyed girls also believed that menstrual blood was 'bad' blood the body was excreting.

Explaining the attitude surrounding menstruation in our society, Swati Bedekar said it all boils down to the ignorance about menstruation and knowledge on the difference in the male and female reproductive systems.

Bedekar, the initiator of project Sakhi, that offers biodegradable sanitary napkins at an affordable cost, has carried out over 500 awareness campaigns on the subject.

"Even today, if you ask a woman why they menstruate, most will not be able to say it is unfertilised egg finding its way out of the body. The process is no different for men as sperms also find their way out of the body. The only difference is there is no blood involved," said Bedekar.

The fact that blood flows out of a woman's body without any exterior wound intimidates most people, she said. "What makes it worse is that ours is a patriarchal society, where it comes as no surprise if women face discrimination due to periods," said Bedekar.

The extent of taboo surrounding menstruation can be established from the fact that the women who were questioned felt embarrassed while watching sanitary napkin advertisements on television. The study found that even the men in the family chose to either go out of the room or change channels when such advertisements would be aired.

TABOOS

Some prevalent superstitions that the study found, included, belief that touching grains, pickles, and other food items may contaminate it, which is why a lot of women aren’t allowed to enter the kitchen while in their periods.

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