Driving diversity, equity and inclusivity in workplaces and education via menstrual health management

Menstrual Hygiene and Health (MHH) is critical for the well-being, prosperity and empowerment of young girls and women. Not having access to menstrual products, access to water, safety, privacy, toilets and disposal options to manage menstruation can erode psychological and physical well-being of menstruators and leave them vulnerable and is termed as period poverty. It leads to menstruators not being able to step out, attend schools, colleges or commute to workplaces. To understand the magnitude of how big this problem is, a primary and secondary research was conducted to understand menstrual health management practices across India, challenges and barriers faced by menstruators, stigmas associated, and restrictions placed and finally benefits gained by menstruators by using period products. Comparison across cities, towns and villages yielded important insights about where effort and resources need to be deployed, e.g., shame factor was 2.5 times higher in villages vs cities, 42.3% of girls miss schools, colleges and workplaces due to lack of products and 1 in 5 (20.9%) have stopped going to schools after periods started, which translates to 23.1 Mn girls. With nearly 400 Mn menstruators in India, 296 Mn miss education and work for varying number of days due to period poverty. That’s a lot of education and workdays lost and hence leading to social, human and economic capital loss. The Menstrual Health costs are unaffordable for a large percentage of population due to recurring costs of disposable period products. This calls for an urgent focus to drive distribution and encourage adoption of reusable alternatives that can effectively address period poverty. Removing barriers like period poverty helps menstruators attend educational institutions & workplaces, which in turn strengthens their confidence and life achievement skills. By giving girls & women opportunities to flourish, we are not only building a diverse, inclusive & equitable society leading to socio-economic gains but also creating an environment that acts as a strategic multiplier in the long term.