An IFOP study carried out for the Intima brand showed that one in three women has already been humiliated by her partner because she was on her period. Proof of the taboo and ignorance of men about this subject.
Through an online questionnaire from April 17 to 18, 2021, 1,010 women aged 15 to 49 testified at theFIFG the impact their rule had on their mental, physical and social life. Published in May 2021, and in partnership with Intima, this study shows that 1 in 3 women has already been humiliated by her partner when she was on her period. This involved derogatory, sexist remarks and mockery based on the taboo that exists around menstruation. And the figures of this study do not stop there. In fact, 46% of respondents said they felt that the discomfort or pain of their period was underestimated by cisgender men in their circle of friends. In an article for Yahoo LifeNoëlle (47 years old) and Clémentine (26 years old) bear witness to the violence shown by their respective spouses when they explained to them that they were on their period.
Many cisgender men are still sick of the rules
“I’ve been with my boyfriend for 4 years, and during the first confinement, we decided to move in togethersays Clementine, when the time came, I naturally told him that I was on my period, and he kicked me out of bed! He claimed that the smell of my blood bothered him, that he could not sleep with the fear of waking up in a bed drenched in blood”. Noëlle, for her part, was treated like “a plague victim” when she mentioned to her husband the embarrassment caused to him by his period: “The few times he went shopping for me, he refused to buy me tampons. He’s always openly disgusted when I tell him I’m on my period.”
The taboo around sex during menstruation
The lack of interest, even the disgust felt by cisgender men pushes a large part of heterosexual women to be ashamed when they go through this moment in their cycle. According to the IFOP, 83% of them have already had to give up having sex they wanted because they had their period. By dint of believing that blood is dirty and that menstruation does not mix well with sexuality, menstruating people find themselves ignoring their libido at the time of their period. However, menstrual blood is a very good lubricant and sexual intercourse (consented by people) can reduce menstrual pain.
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People who spend their time hiding their period
Beyond sexuality, menstruating people spend their time hiding and finding ways to remain discreet when they have to change their period protection. 83% of respondents said they had already hidden their pads or tampons in their pocket or sleeve when they went to the bathroom. 64% explain that they did not dare to throw used sanitary protection in public trash cans, preferring to hide them in their bag or in their pockets. For those who use cups, it’s a nightmare. Public spaces are rarely designed to facilitate the flushing process. You often have to remove your cup in a small toilet and always have a sufficiently full bottle of water with you to rinse the object well without being seen. others.
In short, having your period in 2022 is still complicated for many people concerned. The pains are not taken seriously and the leave for the periods is still not set up, the composition of the hygienic protections remains obscure and the price too high. And, icing on the cake, we are not even allowed to talk about all this, because it has to be hidden so as not to disturb the fragile ears. It is time for that to change.