Social Taboos and Menstrual Practices in the Pindar Valley

Bibliographic Data

ID12317832
AuthorsNixon Joshy (Swaniti Initiative, New Delhi, India.), K Kiran Prakash (Council on Energy, Environment and Water, corresponding author), Kamini Prakash (India Support Unit, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, New Delhi, India.), Komal Ramdey (India Support Unit, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, New Delhi, India.)
Year2019
Volume26
Issue1-2
Pages79-95
Publication date2019-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueIndian Journal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0971-5215 • E-ISSN: 0973-0672
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0971521518811171
OpenAlexW2944836928
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited1

Menstruating women in remote villages of the Himalayas still practise segregation due to the belief that menstrual blood is impure. They are confined to the cowshed ( goth) and are not allowed to interact with others. Although Bageshwar district has been declared as open defecation free and every household has a toilet, menstruating women continue to defecate in the open because they are not allowed to use sanitation facilities used by others. Menstrual taboos have an impact on the mobility, health, education and self-esteem of women and adolescent girls. This article looks at the taboos that exist in the Pindar Valley and how women and adolescent girls cope when they have their period. What is the impact of these taboos on the women and girls? How do men and women perceive these taboos? What are the key barriers to changing these practices? How have women negotiated this change given the rigid traditions that have been handed down the centuries

Defecation · Geography · Hygiene · Menstruation · Open defecation · Sanitation · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Taboo · Toilet · Gender Studies · Medicine · Menstrual Health and Disorders · Psychology

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