India’s taboo over menstruating women has to end. Period.

Photo credit: Walls of Fame

Kanika – she prefers using her first name only – loves to travel out of Bangalore. On one trip to the rural interiors of Kerala two years ago, she realized that she had packed her shoes, track pants, and some basic necessities – but not her sanitary kit.

So she went from shop to shop, looking for the size and brand she used, and realized it was a challenge. When she did find it, the shopkeeper was uncomfortable pulling the sanitary pads out of a rack and waited for his wife to return from lunch.

“This got me thinking. In spite of such rapid growth and modernization, women’s hygiene is still considered a taboo in our society,” says Kanika, who went on to conceive a startup called Those5Days in April last year.

During menstruation, the Indian woman encounters myths that almost make her an untouchable.

Women’s periods are a touchy topic in India – if it’s a topic at all. Oh the women do bleed. And the men know they do! But most of them would rather keep it under wraps. Or, rather, rags.

Only 12 percent of India’s 355 million menstruating women use pads. Tampons, cups, period panties, liners are unheard of for vast swathes of the population.

Rags

“Technology needs to address these critical challenges,” says Suhani Mohan, co-founder of Saral Designs, a startup building a business by getting people to think about women and their menstrual hygiene.

During menstruation, the Indian woman encounters myths that almost make her an untouchable. Some are not allowed to come out of their room, others are not allowed to cook or touch food or utensils. And most are told never to enter temples as they are too “unclean” for a holy place – never mind if the deity inside is a goddess.

Millions of village women use rags, sand, husk, and leaves to absorb the blood. Why? Often because they don’t know any better.

Photo credit: Carl Campbell

A friend of mine who worked for a leading women’s sanitary products brand several years ago recollects a unique problem in rural areas. “Most women didn’t use underwear! How would we get them to wear pads?”

Up to 88 percent of girls wash and reuse cotton cloth for their periods.

Forced to re-use

Men, women, and technology

Using the internet

Change is good