Pavithra’s Path to Empowerment: Navigating Menstrual Health for Enhanced Work-Life Balance

Pavithra works in a textile supply chain factory in Bengaluru. She has been working in the factory for the last seven years as a recruiter and is one of the female peer health educators working closely with Upfront on worker wellbeing. She has been attending the health and wellbeing sessions carried out by Upfront in the factories, which encompass aspects of mental, physical, menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health. While talking about menstrual health and how it has affected her, she said, “There are so many myths and misconceptions, like not consuming milk, butter, eggs, etc. Since we do not have the right information, we are not able to contest them or know what to follow, which is good for our health.” Pavithra also suffers from abdominal pain, itching, and weakness during her periods. “I am unable to concentrate on my work. My productivity decreases considerably, and it’s not just me; there are a lot of women in the factory who face this problem.”

Pavithra’s health issues and added restrictions at the house cause her stress. She ends up taking leave from work. This leads to her bearing the wrath of the management, and all the stress and hormonal changes result in fights with her husband, temperamental behaviour, and unnecessary shouting at children.

The training with Upfront has helped her bust a lot of myths and made her aware of good nutrition and practices. “I now know what is good for my health. I have made small changes to my everyday eating habits for myself and my family. I also try to share the knowledge I have received with my extended family and relatives.”

Pavithra now knows about the hormonal changes this time of the month brings and the effect they have on the body and mind. After making her husband and sons aware of the same, her mental health at home has improved significantly. This creates an enabling and supportive environment for her, and hence she is able to go to work and contribute better there too. She is also eating nutritious food during her periods. This has helped reduce her pain too.

Upfront has been working on the wellbeing of the workers, in this case, textile supply chain factory workers, with a special focus on the female workforce. Sexual, reproductive, and menstrual health is a very important part of this, as it affects women not only at home but also at work. The right information and awareness about it can really help women go a long way, build their agency and confidence, and improve their mental health, productivity, and quality of life for themselves and their families.