by Sila Nighat Shahid @silashahid

Are spaces designed for women, or are women expected to fit into spaces?

Every month, 1.8 billion women menstruate globally - they can experience excruciating period pains as they navigate through work, education and daily life. This disguise of physical and mental discomfort is forced upon women by societal norms that still view menstruation as a taboo.

WomenEd Hungary kick-started 2025 by hosting The Health Talk, Period-Friendly Education workshop to emphasize the critical need for making institutions inclusive for female students and educators. This interactive session, led by an award-winning period rights activist Sila Nighat Shahid, provided a safe space for participants to learn about menstrual equity and period poverty while reflecting on their personal experiences managing menstruation in educational settings.

The two-hour session covered key aspects of menstrual health, shedding light on topics often overlooked in mainstream education setups:

• Menstrual terminologies: understanding the basic terminologies associated with menstruation including menstrual health management (MHM), water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), menstrual equity, and period poverty.
• Menstrual cycle awareness: a detailed overview of the menstrual cycle, its four phases, and the hormonal changes that influence physical, social, and emotional well-being.
• Menstrual health and education: identifying parameters contributing to a period-friendly educational space, including access to menstrual products, clean toilets, and proper disposal facilities.
• Menstruation as a cross-cutting theme across SDGs: examining menstruation within the broader development agenda, particularly in relation to SDG 3 (Health), SDG 4 (Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Period poverty as a violation of basic human rights: exploring how lack of access to menstrual products and inadequate menstrual health infrastructure violate fundamental rights such as the right to education, health, non-discrimination, and gender equality.

Key discussion and takeaways:

The session began with an ice-breaking activity designed to create a safe and comfortable environment for an open dialogue. An introduction activity helped participants ease into discussions around menstruation, setting the stage for a reflective and engaging conversation.

One of the most engaging aspects of the workshop was the participants' curiosity about the complexity of the monthly menstruation cycle. The discussion around the cycle, its different phases and the premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was a valuable reflection point for the participants and they mentioned how this knowledge empowered them to understand their bodies better. This was followed by an interactive activity that utilized the knowledge in the room to define various terminologies associated with menstruation. This allowed the participants to gauge their understanding of certain terms and clarify any misinformation.

The workshop was pulled together by the story-telling segment where participants shared their lived experiences with managing menstruation including barriers that continue to make menstruation a difficult and isolating experience in schools, colleges, and universities. The conversation extended to how institutions could be more inclusive discussing ideas like mandatory period education, period leave policies, flexible working hours, and institutionalized period-care initiatives.

Taking a step towards period-friendly education

The session concluded with a reflective discussion on how everyone can contribute to period-friendly education. Participants explored small yet impactful steps, such as initiating open conversations, advocating for period-friendly policies, and challenging stigma in their daily interactions to promote menstrual equity within their educational institutions.

Building period-friendly educational institutions is not just about access to pads or clean toilets—it is about dismantling the cultural silence around menstruation and ensuring that no one has to feel ashamed or unsupported in managing a natural bodily function.

#menstruation #menstrualhealth #menstrualequity #stigma #taboo #equity #sdgs