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Abstract

The consequences of the stigma around menstruation today, impeding both women’s life chances and economic productivity, have caused researchers, academics, politicians and feminists alike to focus on this worldwide development issue. Multiple solutions have been employed to tackle the problem, such as eliminating tax on sanitary products and improving facilities in schools and workplaces. However, there is a lack of research on the root of the problem and how this stigma originated. This dissertation aimed to investigate a range of secondary research on the topic of menstruation, asking specifically how religious beliefs, cultural practices and social positions contribute to the oppression of menstruating Indian women. In this context, oppression is defined as the extent to which these three themes prevent a menstruating woman from living a normal day to day life.

Following on a review of the literature on menstrual shame in South Asia, three key themes were developed: Hinduism, Cultural Practices/Menstrual Mythologies and Social Hierarchies/Patriarchy. These themes were explored further regarding their attitudes towards and impact upon menstruating women in India, using the method of thematic analysis and Lori Heise’s Ecological model. The research demonstrated an underlying interconnectedness of all three themes and the ability they have both individually and collectively to disempower menstruating women in society. Further research is needed to examine other factors that could play a part in the discrimination of menstruating women, for example, other religions prevalent in India such as Islam and Sikhism, and use of contraceptives that affect the body’s natural process like the coil and the pill.

Course: International Development - BA - C28415

Date Deposited: 2022-02-17

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13805.html