|
Citizen Posts
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Since 2013, May 28th has been designated as ‘Menstrual Hygiene Day’. It is an annual awareness-raising day that aims to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM)- it shines a spotlight on the challenges faced by women and girls in managing their menstrual health and emphasizes the efforts made by different stakeholders to improve MHM.
This global initiative is a call to ensure that women are not held back because of menstruation. Even with over 300 million women worldwide menstruating daily, traditionally, menstruation has been a secret talk for only women and girls but mirrored by willful cultural taboos and discriminatory social norms.
It has, however, in recent years, changed into a public topic, largely elicited by the global commitment to gender equality and social justice. Part of this transformation has been the increasing men’s involvement in the periods’ discourse, a shift that has received a standing ovation from society as seen to promote healthier, empathetic, and supportive environments for women and girls.
It is encouraging to see more men and boys acknowledging the significance of their role in challenging and dispelling the cultural taboos, stigma, and misconceptions associated with menstruation in our communities and schools. I have noticed that men’s involvement in menstrual health has brought about various benefits over the years.
Besides breaking the cultural taboos, stigma, and myths that surround periods, men boost women’s physical and mental well-being, provide information on good practices, and support access to affordable and appropriate menstrual products which has proved to cultivate healthier relationships and supportive environments in schools and communities.
We now have men and boys advocating and championing the call for improved menstrual health in our society to support the over 500 million women who lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities to manage their periods with dignity.
These are our would-be heroes who are committed to pushing for open discussions on making menstruation a normal fact of life and asking for safe spaces for women and girls to discuss periods and seek support without shame. On the flip side, I have also witnessed instances where men and boys lack awareness about the challenges their female counterparts face during their menstrual periods and the support they require.
Even though they control the resources needed to obtain menstrual hygiene products, these men and boys often do not provide the necessary support, leaving women and girls to manage their periods alone.
This lack of support perpetuates unhygienic and unhealthy menstrual practices, as well as reinforcing misconceptions, shame, and social and economic inequalities in our society. For instance, in schools, when a girl experiences a period-related uniform stain, she may face teasing from boys, despite needing understanding and empathy from everyone around her, including male peers and teachers, as well as access to menstrual products from male service providers. It is important to educate men and boys about menstruation.
This not only fosters inclusivity in our society but also helps bridge the knowledge gap on the biological processes and emotional challenges women and girls experience during their menstrual periods. It is a critical step towards creating a holistic approach to addressing the multidimensional issues that women and girls face during menstruation.
However, the challenge is complex, with various societal obstacles such as cultural barriers and gender stereotypes that keep men unaware of menstrual issues, thus reducing their involvement in making menstruation a normal aspect of life. Women and girls cannot find solutions on their own when some cultures still consider it inappropriate to discuss menstruation with men. Men need to change their attitude and be willing to have open conversations to break down the societal stereotypes that hinder their involvement in discussions about menstruation.
This requires tailored messages, training, and awareness campaigns to raise awareness of the important role of men and boys in ending period poverty. Society should not see men as outsiders in matters related to menstruation but should instead encourage men to support their female colleagues in a culture where menstruation is seen as a natural part of life.
Men’s involvement in menstrual health should be seen as a step toward gender equality and an inclusive society and should challenge all of us to work towards making menstruation a shared responsibility and a normal part of life by 2030.
Ronald Ngobi, Managing Director, Fenrich Consults.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are solely for and belong to the author/ writer. They don’t reflect, portray or represent those of Citizen Posts, it’s affiliates, owners or employees. If you have a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via citizenposts24@gmail.com
