In India, menstrual hygiene is one of the most critical health threats for women, and they have to undergo several struggles during their monthly period cycle. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of 2015-16 pointed out that only 121 million out of the total 336 menstruating population in India use sanitary napkins. Unhygienic practices during menstruation can increase a woman’s …
Policies and programmes must change restrictive gender norms in order to meaningfully impact the lives of women and girls. In many societies, women’s choices around education, marriage, employment, and childbearing are severely limited and often prescriptive. Within homes, schools, work, and public places, critical life decisions are underpinned by social and gender norms that contribute to a widespread acceptance of …
One of the most glaring but under-prioritised gender-related issues is menstrual health, which unfortunately gets compartmentalised as a women’s problem instead of getting noticed as a public health challenge and a barrier to nation-building. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 2015-16, India has over 355 million menstruating women. However, only 36 per cent of women were reported as …
May 28 is observed as Menstrual Hygiene Day across the world. Though it is as normal as any other biological function of a human body, where the lining of the uterus breaks down and leaves the body through the vagina, it is still brushed under the carpet and not discussed openly. The stigma associated with a woman bleeding every month …
Rani’s initiative to provide comprehensive sexual health education for the youth in the state of Maharashtra is a model for India and the rest of the world. Sixty-nine-year old Dr Rani Bang has conducted scores of sex education sessions for adolescents and teenagers across Maharashtra. The pandemic has made her go online with these sessions, which social activist admits has been a …
