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MENSTRUAL INCLUSION AND FEMALE STUDENT SUCCESS IN INDIA:

Barriers facing developing elementary girls and implications from the case of Fiji

Rachel Bornstein

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NUMBERS

1.5+ million

260+ million

23 million

71%

schools

students

girls that drop out/year

adolescent girls that are not taught how to manage their menstrual flow

until 1994

menstruation was unmentionable

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4000+ years of Hindu influence

A lot of the menstrual stigma was shaped by the Vedic Age (c. 1500 - c. 500 BCE) and its sacred texts still used in Hinduism practice today, the Vedas scriptures and the Manusmriti (Hindu Law)

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Vedas Scripture: Mythological Origin of Menstruation

Indra, the Hindu god of thunder, kills Vitra, the demon of droughts. Indra was cursed because he murdered a son of a god, so he passed this curse onto women to be the bearers of his guilt. Everytime a woman bleeds, she is bleeding Vitra’s blood. Nobody should sit with or eat with a menstruating woman.

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IMPACT TODAY

NON-INCLUSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

KNOWLEDGE GAPS

MALE

APATHY

ABSENTEEISM

…and taboo practices!

No Menstrual-Inclusive Ecosystem

Teachers, parents, peers, health workers, and family members may spread misinformation on WHAT a period is, WHY it happens, and HOW to take care of them. Textbooks are not comprehensive.

Lack of hygienic facilities that provide privacy for girls and resources to manage their menstrual health, including sanitary products and a proper disposal system

Male classmates tease or spread rumors about a girl on her period, and male teachers might harass or not understand needs of menstruating students (ex: frequents trips to bathroom).

The lack of a menstrually inclusive ecosystem keeps girls in shame and silence, forcing them to miss school to avoid the attention.

The religious influence has had such a noticeable impact today in India’s schools. Many schools’ infrastructure is not inclusive to menstruating girls. Menstrual-inclusive infrastructure is not just having running water and soap, but also private bathrooms, access to menstrual products, and an adequate disposal system.

In addition, males are not sensitized to menstruation, so a lot of girls are bullied by the boys and receive no sympathy from male teachers, who are unaware and apathetic towards menstruating girls’ needs, like needing to leave class to use the bathroom frequently.

Because the discussion of menstruation is such a recent phenomenon, multiple stakeholders like teachers, parents, health workers, peers, and family members do not have a comprehensive understanding of WHAT a period is, WHY it happens, and HOW girls should manage it. This results in misinformation being passed down, as well as reinforcement of taboo practices and myths.

And this whole lack of a menstrually-inclusive ecosystem forces girls to live in shame and silence, and drives them to miss school or drop out all together.

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Policy to Implementation Lag

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Tamil Nadu: MHM Councils in elementary schools

Hyderabad: Modularized curriculum on MHM

(developed by Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust)

Nodal: Training teachers to support adolescents, puberty issues, and MHM

Program to promote sanitary napkin vending machines and disposal systems in K-12 (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan)

Slow, unscaled progress locally

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Tamil Nadu: MHM Councils in elementary schools

Hyderabad: Modularized curriculum on MHM

(developed by Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust)

Nodal: Training teachers to support adolescents, puberty issues, and MHM

Program to promote sanitary napkin vending machines and disposal systems in K-12 (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan)

Improve retention rates amongst grades 5th-8th
Increase inclusion for female students
Evolve in edtech to improve training and learning experiences

Recent changes: National Education Policy (2020) Priorities

VALUE: EDUCATION FOR ALL!

Slow, unscaled progress locally

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COMPARISON TIME

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FIJI

Indo-Fijans (37%)

856 schools

i-Tauekeis (57%)

Predominantly Indian/Hindu descent

731 are elementary

Indigenous group

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ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Most girls taught before menarche

FIJI

INDIA

Curriculum integration

Male teachers feel awkward; boys tease

Indigenous Fiji celebrate menarche; Less stigma

Most girls are NOT taught before menarche

Indo-Fijans incorporate restrictive practices; More stigma

Male and female teachers feel awkward; boys tease

High stigma and restricted practices

Teachers and female family members

Insufficiently addressed in 8th grade or skipped

Health professionals or mothers

Workshops requested on adhoc basis

Challenge: Knowledge gaps

The first element of comparison was access to information— how are adolescents taught about menstruation?

In Fiji, most girls are taught about their periods before menarche, whereas in India most girls are NOT taught before menarche. In one study, over 81% of the girls had menarche earlier.

In Fiji, there is curriculum integration of menstruation into Science and health classes, but male teachers may feel uncomfortable about it, and boys often tease the girls. In India, there is no sufficient curriculum integration despite policies suggesting it be included. The textbooks Indian schools use comes from the government, and it’s filled with misinformation, like saying how periods start in 8th grade, the time they think it’s appropriate to talk about them. Male and female teachers are uncomfortable and often skip over the section out of shame, and boys tease a lot.

In Fiji, the Indigenous Fiji actually celebrate menarche! It is seen as beautiful and there is less stigma. However, in India there is high stigma and restricted practices for menstruating girls. In Fiji, the Indo-Fijans with Hindu influence understandably incorporate restrictive practices as well and has more stigma. When it comes to WHO teaches, Fiji girls find teachers and female family members the best sources of information, whereas in India health professionals or mothers are preferred— and teachers are one of the LEAST preferred people. In India, schools can request workshops to come teach kids, but it’s on an adhoc basis and most workshops exclude boys from the conversation.

What surprised me is that, even though Fiji seems to have lower stigma in schools regarding teaching about menstruation, BOTH countries prove that the information is not necessarily accurate.

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ACCESS TO MHM INFRASTRUCTURE

Government prioritization and support

FIJI

INDIA

All toilets segregated between girls and boys

Most schools have menstrual products

Not all schools have adequate disposal system

Inconsistent government initiatives across states

Challenge: budget for sustainability

WASH facilities are NOT menstrual-inclusive

Risk: Girls use unsanitary materials (leaves, hay, newspaper, etc)

⅔ schools lack girl’s only toilets

The second element of comparison was about access to MHM infrastructure, menstrual-inclusive facilities in schools.

In Fiji, the government prioritizes menstrual-inclusive infrastructure, but in India, it is very inconsistent across the states. In Fiji, because of such prioritization, ALL toilets are segregated between the boys and girls, giving privacy to girls. In India, ⅔ of schools do not have a girl’s only toilet. In Fiji, most schools have access to menstrual products, but not all the schools have adequate disposal systems for dirty products. In India, there are initiatives for WASH facilities (water, sanitation, and hygiene) in schools, but WASH does not necessarily mean menstrual-inclusive WASH facilities (as I mentioned, menstrual-inclusive facilities require more than just water and soap).

While Fiji has strong implementation of menstrual-inclusive WASH facilities, the biggest challenge is the budget to sustain them. Restocking products and repairing systems is an issue, especially after the country was hit by a Tropical Cyclone in 2016

In India, the biggest health risk from the lack of infrastructure is that girls resort to unsanitary materials, like leaves outside, hay, or newspaper, which can make them develop a lot of infections. And of course, not having infrastructure forces girls to stay home.

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DISCUSSION

NOT WHAT,

but WHO & HOW

MENSTRUAL-INCLUSIVE WASH FACILITIES

POTENTIAL OF EDTECH

MALE SENSITIZATION

A more feasible implementation to increase girls’ confidence, independence, and participation in school.

India’s interest in edtech advancements has potential to create a culturally-responsive tool to educate students and teachers, as well as allow a safer space to learn.

Indigenous Fiji womanhood ceremonies celebrate bodily changes and create safe space for girls taught by women

Males do not need to know everything, but by understanding menstruation as natural and normal, bullying and shame could greatly decrease.

It’s evident India has a long way to go to battle the stigma, but looking at Fiji, i draw a few conclusions. First is that it’s not WHAT is taught, since it’s evident there will be gaps of knowledge from the stigma, but what is more important is WHO is teaching and HOW it’s taught. Indian students do not prefer teachers to teach them, and teachers do not even feel comfortable themselves. But in Fiji, the Indigenous Fiji exemplifies inclusive, safe spaces through their puberty ceremonies. The girl is surrounded by her family and taught by female family members about her period, even if the info may be misinformed. They provide her with sanitary products to prepare.

Second of all is the significance of menstrual-inclusive WASH facilities. When it may be hard to change a 4000+year long stigma, a feasible step is to create infrastructure that provides girls with privacy and independence to take care of their bodies and be fully present in school. This can greatly reduce absenteeism. India would just need to prioritize sustainability.

Third lesson is that male sensitization is essential, especially in India’s patriarchal society. Males do not need to know everything, but they need to know that menstruation is natural and normal to reduce bullying and shame, which further helps girls to feel comfortable to go to school.

Lastly, India’s interest in advancing their edtech towards improving teaching and learning quality may have a lot of potential towards creating a culturally-responsive tool to educate students and teachers. In addition, elearning provides a safer space to learn at your own pace and in your own setting.

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April 11, 2023

Optimism for a future national model: Start of a menstrual hygiene policy by India’s Supreme Court

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Thank you!