How women around the world manage their menstrual period
From menstrual cup to cloth, menstruation skirt or homemade sanitary pad, a new photo gallery from WaterAid highlights the many and varied ways in which women around the world manage their periods.
Millions of women and girls menstruate every month, yet governments across the world continue to ignore the issue and its associated links to women’s health, economic and social wellbeing. Battling the stigma that continues to surround periods, women around the world look for their own solutions around disposal, pricing, health and comfort.
No woman or girl should have to manage their period without access to the sanitary product of their choice. Governments should play an active role in providing the infrastructure and knowledge needed to support this right.
At a minimum, women everywhere need clean water for washing themselves and any reusable sanitary materials, decent private toilets that give them the space, privacy, as well as access to adequate and acceptable sanitary products and disposal methods. Yet, 1 in 9 people don’t have clean water close to home, while 1 in 3 don't have a decent toilet of their own.
Without these services, menstruation can affect women’s health and involvement in social and economic life, and thus their opportunities.
View some of the surprising ways women manage their period (best viewable on mobile):
WaterAid/ Billy Barraclough
Hilary, 27, uses reusable sanitary pads to manage her period. 'The environment is a big factor for why I use reusable sanitary pads. It’s about reducing waste.' London, UK, April 2019
WaterAid/ Sibtain Haider
A piece of cloth to be used as sanitary pad. Saba, 18, 'My mom told me to use cloth during my periods. I cannot afford to use sanitary pads.' Islamabad, Pakistan, August 2018.
WaterAid/ Chileshe Chanda
Nowana, 45, in front of her house, 'I would prefer pads to cow patties if I had a choice. They are easy and already made, they are disposable and don’t require a lengthy process like the one I go th
WaterAid/ Chileshe Chanda
Nowana, 45, uses powdered cow patties in a pouch used during menstruation, 'I would prefer pads to cow patties if I had a choice. They are easy and already made, they are disposable and don’t requir
WaterAid/ Chileshe Chanda
Limpo, 22, cuts cow patties to size for use during menstruation. 'I do not put the cow patties directly on my skin, I wrap it in a cloth and place it nicely to capture the flow without staining other
WaterAid/ Chileshe Chanda
Limpo, 22, 'I do not put the cow patties directly on my skin, I wrap it in a cloth and place it nicely to capture the flow without staining other clothes. I like this method because cow patties soak u
WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
Women from Kapyanga sharing menstrual hygiene experiences, Kasungu, Malawi, August 2018.
WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
Nyanda, a small piece of cloth used as a sanitary pad in Kapyanga, Kasungu, Malawi, August 2018.
WaterAid/ James Kiyimba
Lepera Joyce, 23, showing her goatskin skirt which she uses when she is on her period, 'I use this goatskin skirt because it’s always available; it’s our traditional sanitary pad.' Nakapiripirt Di
WaterAid/ James Kiyimba
Picture of the goatskin skirt which Lepera Joyce uses to manage bleeding when she is on her period, 'I use this goatskin skirt because it’s always available; it’s our traditional sanitary pad.' Na
WaterAid/ David Freeman
Steph, 27, uses an IUD as well as tampons and pads to manage her period. 'I have an IUD to help manage my endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, which in turn helps manage my menstrual cycle as
WaterAid/ Billy Barraclough
Hilary, 27, uses reusable sanitary pads to manage her period. 'The environment is a big factor for why I use reusable sanitary pads. It’s about reducing waste.' London, UK, April 2019
WaterAid/ Mani Karmacharya
Sangita, 32, sewing the sanitary pad. 'Ready made pads are costly and if you do not dispose of them properly it will pollute the environment.' Banepa Municipality, Kavre District, Nepal, August 2018.
WaterAid/ Mani Karmacharya
A reusable sanitary pad made by Sangita, 32. 'Ready made pads are costly and if you do not dispose of them properly it will pollute the environment.' Banepa Municipality, Kavre District, Nepal, August
WaterAid/ Priya Sippy
Lydia, 26, uses cotton sanitary pads when she is on her period, 'Even if it gives you pain the fact that you have periods means that you are healthy and you are able to conceive in the future. It is s
WaterAid/ Basile Ouedraogo
A sample of sanitary pads ,known as cottons, sold in the shops and used by some women or girls, who are wealthier, mainly in urban areas. 'With cotton, I feel more comfortable. Cotton is good but the
WaterAid/ Chileshe Chanda
Doris, 19, holds lint cotton she uses during menstruation. 'When am on my period, I stop playing soccer or any other sporting activities. I can’t run or play games with my friends.' Kazungula Dsiti
WaterAid/ Basile Ouedraogo
Pieces of old or worn loincloth, used by the majority of girls and women to manage their periods, especially those in rural areas or of modest means. 'During my periods, I use pieces of traditional lo
Within the communities that WaterAid works, we talked to women about their periods. The result is a revealing snapshot of traditions passed on from mother to daughter, as well as women’s own, often innovative, solutions.
In Uganda, Lepera Joyce uses an animal skin ‘menstruation skirt’ when she is on her period. In Nepal, Sangita makes her own sanitary pads. Meanwhile in Australia, Steph can get pads and tampons from the supermarket but is also able to manage her menstrual cycle by using an IUD (a Mirena).
In many countries, cloth is the go-to material for women, which helps to tackle disposal issues in places where facilities are lacking. The environmental impact of disposable sanitary pads is huge. For example, in India, there are about 121 million women of reproductive age; if all of them use just eight sanitary pads a month, this amounts to 12 billion pads annually.
Chelsea Huggett, WaterAid Australia's Technical Lead in Equality and Rights, said:
“Menstrual health is fundamental to achieving gender equality and to improving the lives of women and girls all over the world. Despite this normal bodily function, which is generally a sign of good health, women and girls feel ashamed and have difficulties managing their bleeding each month. We are expected to keep it a secret, and in many countries women may not even have proper water to bathe, nowhere to throw away used pads and no options for pain management. For an adolescent girl, she may be afraid to go to school because she doesn’t have a pad or anywhere to change it.
It’s time we normalised talking about menstrual health and hygiene. Breaking the taboo on menstruation with girls and boys can normalise other taboo conversations about relationships, our bodies and sex.”
WaterAid work in some of the hardest to reach places in the world to provide appropriate sanitation facilities and menstrual hygiene skills and education to those women and girls who need it.
View more photos at Refinery29
