Social exclusion of women during menstruation: A bio-psychosocial perspective of menstrual health of slum women in India

This paper is an effort to empirically study the biological, social and psychological impact of menstruation on migrant women and girls of slums in urban India. Since migration leads to modification of cultural norms, this paper also explores the impact of menstruation in the light of migration and urban influence on the respondents who originally hail from Haryana state, which is the least friendly state for females in India. Menstruation is much more than a biological process by which a female body prepares itself for conception. In Indian parlance, menstruation has equal social implications as it has biological. Culture plays a dominant role and often leads to exclusion of girls during the period days and curtailment of freedom as the girl is able to conceive after menarche. An Indian woman is idealised as an epitome of sacrifice, and menarche is the first step towards womanhood which teaches ways to curtail her own self. There is a steep fall in the social status of a girl on reaching puberty. In Indian context, talking about sex is a taboo and reproductive health is not a priority matter in the families, thereby, girls often find themselves grappling with this natural biological phenomenon. They are treated as untouchables and also disfavoured with separate bedding, utensils, etc. Girls drop out from schools and are given in early marriage on reaching puberty.