Do poor women want disposable sanitary towels?
Most women are not able to spend money on sanitary protection. Sabiha, a village woman from Sylhet commented, ‘Disposable sanitary towels would be convenient for any woman as they do not need to be washed and stored, but we cannot think of spending money for menstruation. For us there is no cost involved with menstruation, as we use old clothes.’ What are menstruation myths and restrictions? In Bengali culture, women are generally considered unclean during menstruation. A menstruating woman is thought to have the power to pollute or destroy. She is also considered to be at risk from evil spirits. Because of these beliefs, a woman is expected to alter her movements and behaviour when she is menstruating. She should not eat certain foods, such as meat, eggs, fish and leafy vegetables at this time since they are believed to increase her polluted state. People commonly believe that a menstruating woman… • should not sleep with her husband as this would harm him. • must not touch a holy boo
