Attitude of girls in Western Rajasthan towards menstrual cycle: A less explored domain

Abstract

The menstrual cycle has been the subject of many traditional tales, myths and mystery. Myth and mystery have long enveloped the truth about menstruation. The mere mention of the topic has been tabooed in the past and even to this day the cultural and social influences appear to be hurdle for advancement of knowledge on the subject. It is customary for some girls to restrict their activities during the periods as per their belief, social customs and religion. The present study was carried out on 600 unmarried healthy college going girls between the age of 18 to 23 years from Jodhpur (Western Rajasthan), during the period from Dec 2005 to May 2007 to study the attitudes of women towards menstrual cycle along with the socio-cultural beliefs and practices in their region. It was observed that 40.2% girls accepted menstruation as a normal physiological event, 20.5% considered it as a necessary evil, 19.7% considered it to be a troublesome due to physical discomforts, 18.8% indicated their disliking to menstruation and 0.8% considered it to be a bad omen due to family beliefs. Also restrictions are mostly observed in orthodox Hindu, Muslim and Christian families whereas the girls belonging to Sikh families are more liberated in this regard. Almost all Hindu(97.4%),Muslim(100%)and about two third (66.7%)of the Christian girls, who participated in this study were restricted in one way or other during the menstrual period.It is high time that these regressive attitudes and practices are done away with so that women can contribute to make India a truly progressive nation .