Addressing Menstrual Stigma in South Asia: A Holistic Approach Toward Gender Equality and Public Health

Menstruation is a natural and human biological function of women of reproductive age, yet it is treated as a taboo in many communities across the world. Such taboos may have positive or negative effects, but in all cases, they affect the health of individuals and women’s communities as a whole. This article aims to describe how both men and women express stigmatizing attitudes toward menstruation and how menstruating women have to bear physical pain and psychological stress during those days. Undoubtedly, long-standing gender stereotyping and social structuring keep menstrual taboos alive and well in the contemporary world. This chapter is descriptive, using secondary data. It concludes that improving female education, adequate policy measures, and social respect for women could reduce the stigma around menstruation.