Feminine Hygiene

Why is proper feminine hygiene a health issue for women workers?

Common reproductive health concerns for women workers include dysmenorrheal (severe uterine pain during menstruation) and reproductive tract infections. Problems with menstruation, including irregular periods or excessive bleeding and pain are also commonly cited. The causes of these ailments vary, but poor menstrual hygiene is the most common reason. Most female factory workers use cloth products for menstrual protection, and sometimes they use cloth scraps retrieved from the factory floor, increasing the risk of infection. Access to water is also a challenge, as female factory workers in Bangladesh, for example, live in slums without clean water access. Sanitary napkin use is relatively uncommon, particularly in South Asia, mostly due to cost constraints. Myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation, particularly women’s bathing practices, also contribute to poor feminine hygiene.

What is HERproject doing to address this risk?

HERproject has had an impressive impact on changing female workers’ feminine hygiene awareness and practices in participating factories. HERproject addresses the lack of communication between mothers and daughters on this issue, and the harmful cultural myths that contribute to pain and infections. Trainings challenge those myths and encourage women to communicate with their daughters, sisters, and other family and community members.

HERproject also uses feminine hygiene as an entry point to discuss family planning, sexual health and other reproductive health and rights issues.

By working with factory management to stock and subsidize sanitary napkins in the factory in combination with peer outreach, HERproject has increased the use of sanitary napkins by female workers in one factory in Pakistan. The clinic in this factory now dispenses approximately 450 napkins per month and 33 percent of women now use sanitary napkins. The workers also buy napkins for their sisters and daughters and inform them about proper feminine hygiene, thereby creating a virtuous cycle to support sustainable change.