According to many people, a woman’s menstrual cycle is considered taboo. In earlier days, women weren’t allowed to enter the kitchen or sleep in bed during their menstrual cycles every month. Even in villages and underdeveloped areas of the country, women are sent to live in small huts outside the town community to ensure the disease doesn’t spread. All these false beliefs have led to increased depth, infections, poor reproductive health, and so on.
Keeping all these in mind, we have shed light on whether the period taboo is still prevalent in the Indian mindset or not.
Why is the menstrual cycle considered taboo in India?
Many reasons explain why periods are considered taboo in the country, which shouldn’t be spoken about in public. Many educated men and women still harbor these beliefs, despite knowing that periods are entirely natural and a biological process that ensures reproduction.
Below are some main reasons why the taboo is still prominent in Indian society.
- Indians share a strong relationship with the beliefs and considerations of their ancestors. Therefore, it is hard to let go of period myths that it is a disease and can be communicable in many cases.
- The lack of clarity on the health aspect of the menstrual cycle has also fueled the growth of these misbeliefs amongst Indians. Many people in urban cities and metropolitans still don’t know why women bleed every month while men don’t.
- Although governments have arranged social awareness programs about periods and reproduction in many outdated or drawback areas, proper implementation of these campaigns or outreach is not supervised. Therefore, people below the poverty line and belonging to the lower economic section are still unaware of the menstrual cycle.
- Due to the culture and tradition of India, it is complicated for people to accept a new ideology and discard beliefs ingrained in their minds for centuries.
Debunking the period myths
In this below section, we have established clarity about the menstrual cycle to ensure people stop believing in period taboo.
- The menstrual cycle is entirely natural as it ensures reproduction and fertility in women.
- It happens because the ovum is not fertilized due to the absence of sperm in the female reproductive tract. It degenerates after a specific time, causing the blood vessels to rupture and release the flow.
- It happens every month because the ovaries release a matured ovum into the fallopian tube and the uterus for every alternative 14 days.
- If a woman doesn’t get her periods, it can lead to infertility or complications during pregnancy.
Conclusion
It is high time that Indians let go of the period myths and accept the facts and reality for cultural and social progress. Once the truth is accepted, women won’t suffer due to isolation, lack of hygiene and sanitation, improper medical care, etc.