Skip to main content

Periods and the impact on girls education.

<a href='https://www.freepik.com/vectors/background'>Background vector created by pikisuperstar - www.freepik.com</a>

This blog post is dedicated to the International Day of the Girl Child, which takes place every October 11. In addressing challenges faced by girls, an important one to overcome is unequal access to education for the girl child. To achieve a more inclusive educational environment, one of the barriers that needs to be tackled is periods - because menstruation should not be a barrier to education!

To illuminate just how periods are currently affecting girls' education around the world, here are some statistics from MHDay (menstrualhygieneday.org) :
  • In the United States, 1 out of 4 students have struggled to afford period products.
  • In Pakistan, 3 out of 4 girls don't receive education about menstruation in school.
  • In Bhutan, 1 in 3 girls miss school during menstruation because they're afraid others will make fun of them.
  • In South Africa, 1 out of 5 girls miss an average of 18 days of school per year because of menstruation.
Clearly the problem is not limited to a particular country or region. As the statistics above indicate, it is widespread.

There are a number of steps a school can take to ensure it gives every girl an education unaffected by her periods :
  1. Teaching girls about menstruation before they get their first period and letting them know they can speak to someone when they do. This will help prepare them, so they don't feel caught off guard, confused, and unable to reach out for advice on managing their periods.
  2. Adopting zero tolerance for period shaming from peers and teachers alike. Clearing the classroom of taboos and stigma will prevent young girls from internalising feelings of shame and humiliation for simply menstruating. This will lead to less absences while menstruating.
  3. Having adequate sanitation facilities where girls can change and dispose menstrual products and thus maintain menstrual hygiene.
  4. Provide free, accessible menstrual products for those who cannot otherwise afford them. No one should have to choose between buying menstrual products and other basic necessities, such as food. There shouldn't be uncertainty as to whether they will have access to the required products. Having reliable access to period products is important to ensure that all girls attend school even when they're menstruating.  
I would like to stress the obvious fact that access to education is a fundamental human right. Adopting such measures mentioned above will ensure girls can have an equal chance at an education as their male counterparts. Empowering girls today will have far-reaching benefits for the future because girls have limitless potential once we remove the unnecessary gender barriers!

Does your educational institution or the educational institutions in your local area do enough to tackle period poverty and stigma within their educational settings? If not, let them know it and, better yet, let them know what more they can do!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FreeFlow Fast Facts - Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)

  What is it?   TSS is a rare but serious and life-threatening condition that is caused by toxins released by two specific bacteria  Streptococcus pyognes  or  Straphylococcus aureus , that enters the bloodstream. It often occurs from tampon and menstrual cup use.   What are the symptoms?   §    A fever above 39C §    Flu-like symptoms, such as muscle ache, chills, headache §    Widespread sunburn-like rash §    Low blood pressure §    Nausea and/or vomiting §    Dizziness  §    Confusion §    Diarrhoea §    Redness of eyes, lip and tongue §    Seizures §    Peeling of the skin on palms and soles of feet §    Decreased urine output §    Bruising   See a doctor immediately if you have symptoms, especially if you have recently used tampons or have a skin or wound infection.   What causes it?   As already me...
Post a Comment
Read more

Free for all - why we still need to do more to tackle period poverty in the UK.

Free for all - why we still need to do more to tackle period poverty in the UK.  By Kate McGreary Believe it or not, some good has come out of 2020. On the 24 th of November Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products free for all. After a four-year campaign, there is now a legal duty on local authorities to ensure that free items such as tampons and sanitary pads are available to "anyone who needs them". [1] This is no doubt a momentous bill to be passed in combatting period poverty. Currently about 10% of girls in the UK have been unable to afford period products; 15% have struggled to afford them; and 19% have changed to a less suitable product due to cost. [2] This bill also aims to understand how periods and the stigma surrounding them impact upon girl’s education - with researchers finding almost half of girls surveyed have missed school because of their period. [3] However, the fact the Scotland is the only country in the world to prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

Period Poverty Among Refugee Women

According to the UNHCR there are at least 82.4 million people in the world who are displaced. Of these 20.7 million are refugees and 4.1 million are asylum-seekers. Women make up half of these people. In their struggle to leave their homes for safety, sanitary products are often an after-thought. However, these specific need not be overlooked in emergencies by aid organisations as women do not stop menstruating in a crisis and their needs must be met. Although according to research there is an improvement in the matter, there is still more that can be done, especially with the fact that most decision-makers are men.   A study by Global One found that in camps in Syria and Lebanon, almost 60 percent of women didn’t even have access to underwear, with more yet lacking access to period products. This leads to these women resorting to use alternatives such as old rags or tissue to manage their period. However, the issue is not limited to the lack of access to sanitary products. In such...
Post a Comment
Read more