As Menstrual Hygiene Day approaches, conversations around menstrual health gain renewed attention. These discussions often focus on access to products, hygiene infrastructure, and awareness. Yet, what remains less explored is the cultural environment in which these conversations take place—an environment deeply shaped by religious beliefs, social customs, and unspoken codes of conduct.

In India, menstrual restrictions often carry the weight of religious tradition. From Hindu temples to Islamic prayer spaces, from Jain hostels to informal family customs, the message—though varied in form—is familiar: menstruation is a time of withdrawal, exclusion, and silence.

Faith and the Female Body

Across many faiths, menstruation is framed as a period of ritual impurity. Women are often asked to abstain from religious participation, temple visits, or even cooking. These practices are often explained as age-old traditions rooted in reverence, rest, or spiritual discipline.

But when we examine these customs more closely, it becomes evident that they do more than just reflect concern for ritual cleanliness. They create a framework of spatial and social control around menstruating women—dictating where they can enter (temples, kitchens), what they can participate in (rituals, festivals), and how they must isolate themselves from the everyday rhythm of family life.

Menstrual taboos are not simply about hygiene or piety—they mirror a broader discomfort with less understood female biological processes that are cyclical, visible, and beyond external control. In many ways, these practices reinforce the idea that a woman's body, especially when it bleeds, must be monitored, contained, and regulated.

Religious Authority and Social Influence

Religious leaders are often seen as custodians of tradition, and their interpretations significantly influence community norms. When menstrual exclusion is endorsed from the pulpit, it legitimizes stigma—even in educational or medical settings.

The 2020 incident in Gujarat, where girls were forced to strip to prove they weren’t menstruating, occurred in an institution run by a religious trust. Similarly, opposition to sanitary pad distribution by some spiritual leaders stems less from scripture and more from inherited ideas of purity and discipline—ideas that may need revisiting in today’s context.

To be fair, there are also voices within religious traditions advocating change—leaders who are questioning outdated practices and engaging in conversations about menstrual dignity. Their interventions matter, because they show that tradition and transformation can go hand in hand.

Evolving Traditions, Inclusive Conversations

The intent here is not to dismiss religious beliefs, but to recognise how some interpretations—often unconsciously—reinforce gendered expectations. Over time, these norms become so embedded in daily life that they seem “natural.” Yet, they are products of specific social and historical conditions.

Patriarchal ideas often work quietly—not through overt control, but through the normalization of inequality. Menstrual taboos are one such example, where customs created in a different time and context continue to influence modern lives.

By encouraging respectful dialogue between public health advocates and faith leaders, we can begin to unravel these layers—not in opposition to faith, but in pursuit of dignity. After all, traditions evolve best not when they are dismantled, but when they are reinterpreted with empathy, equity, and a deep understanding of lived realities.

(Dr A.L. Sharada Trustee, Population First.  She can be reached at alsharada518@gmail.com)