Menstration
Reflective Tag:
No matter where you live in the world, mentruation occurs. It is the natural bodily function of women. Some countries it is viewed as being taboo because of tradition and they don’t know any other way to view it. In other countries, they rely and refer to religous teachings on how to deal with mentruaion. It is evident that education on this topic is NEEDED badly because many people are just lacking knowledge and therefore, don’t necessarily know how to deal with it.
Article:
There are numerous reactions around the world to the topic of menarche. Some the reactions are of course reactions of delight and celebration while others are fear and shame. For instance, in Nairobi Daba Kenya the women are considered unpure and unclean during their menstruation. They are not allowed in the goats pens, not allowed to milk the cattle, or drink the cattle’s milk and eat their meat, let alone go near the cattle because it is believed that the animals will all die. If a woman even comes near a camel, or drinks its milk, she will never be able to have children and her health will start to decline. Women will be cursed if they go to visit with a male. They feel embarrassed to talk to their daughters about their periods and the girls don’t even want their parents to know about when they do start menstruation because of embarrassment too. When reporters asked them if they knew what sanitary pads where, they were perplexed because they use cloths that they put in their underwear. These cloths are thrown away after they become dirty but they can’t bathe until they are given enough water. They are allowed to attend weddings but they have to sit somewhere away from everyone so that others may know she is menstruating. In Kathmandu, Nepal the remote villages is where menstruation is a major social problem. The women in these villages are sent to huts to live in during their periods. This is a tradition that has been done for generations. They are ban form the village because they are considered dirty. One man explained that they can’t have women that are menstruating in the already filthy area. It is a health issue and he said that someone could die if they were allowed into the village while they are on their periods. Overall these examples are just a few cases where the women are considered dirty and unpure, resulting in shunning.
Some religions take certain views on menstruation because of what is said in their different religious readings. For example, Orthodox Jews have particular rules and rituals involving a woman’s menstruation cycle. The first thing that is done is that they separate the two beds of the husband and wife. The couple is not allowed to touch or have any contact with each other. According to Judaism, a woman who is on her period can’t be touched for two whole weeks because of their uncleanliness. They have to go to a cleansing ritual after the two weeks is over. This ritual is done at a specific place for cleansing. It takes place in a small pool and the women submerge their whole lower half so that every part is under water. After the ritual, the women are allowed to return home to their ever so excited husbands who eagerly await them. The husbands are expected to make these nights just as special as getting married. Both partners cannot wait to be able to touch each other again and it is that much more special when they are reunited each time. The cleansing is empowering rather than repressive. In Islam the menstruating women are excused from fasting and prayers. However, they are allowed to touch and fondle and do everything except for having sexual intercourse. Menstruating women also have to stay away from Tawaaf and the Masjid. The Islamics say that all of these rules are put in place for health and hygiene benefits.
In Uganda, menstruation is considered taboo. The women there think it’s disgusting. They only use their skirts or wrappers to rub the blood off their thighs because they feel as though blood should flow freely. Just like in Kenya, they cannot drink the cattle’s milk and cannot be near males. They don’t bathe until the last day of their periods.
Women in certain places have seen the evident problem of being under educated about menstruation. Specifically, in Bangladesh they have begun to try and help educate women. The older generations of women there refer to menstruation as “a health problem.” The younger generations were taught wrong but they are beginning to build their own informed ideas. They have built a school where young girls can go and learn about health issues. They had previously been taught not to eat eggs or drink milk but now they have learned it’s actually good protein. The school has tremendously helped the knowledge of menstruation and other health issues.
In the U.S. people also have mixed views. The older generations aren’t as used to talking and exploring the topic of menstruation. Many women are scared of even having a period and try and avoid it as much as possible. They try and find any way around experiencing the monthly cycle. The United States are trying to up the education throughout the country so that people become more informed and don’t hide their questions. Men view it as bad thing because of the worry of a female’s emotional reaction to menstruation. It is not viewed by many people as being a good thing.