Period Facts: Less Than 40% Women In India Use Sanitary Pads

FINDINGS

In 2020, a survey was conducted by Shazes of nearly 800 Indian women who participated from various cities of India that included Delhi, Jabalpur, Nagpur & Hyderabad.

Survey communication with community members was done – 11% over the phone, 24% over WhatsApp, 31% through community volunteers & 34% through health workers.

• 30% responded no facilities for girls to change & dispose of sanitary pads.
• 60% did not have any prior knowledge about menstrual periods.
• 38% of women had first misinterpreted it as an injury or disease.
• 80% of respondents claimed that Indian schools do not have an adequate system to educate or mentally prepare teen & adolescent girls regarding the onset of menstrual periods.
• 95% asserted that the school system should have some awareness programs to prepare girls on the subject.
• 60% of women felt that India does not have adequate cleanliness of public toilets.
• 50% of women said they have had some gynecological infection or problem such as UTI, rashes, foul smell, or itching during or after the menstrual cycle in the past six months.
• 20% of women had such issues more than 3 times during the year.
• 64% faced irregularities in their period dates. Out of which half had to deal with it more than 3 times in a year.