Menstruation, Taboo, and the Law: a Jurisprudential Study of Menstrual Rights in India

Author(s)	Dr. Sony Singh
Country	India
Abstract	This paper examines menstruation as a site at which biology, culture, gendered power, and law intersect. The existing jurisprudential argument is extended through sociological and anthropological scholarship on taboo, ritual purity, stigma, and the social construction of the body. Mary Douglas’s account of “matter out of place” helps explain why bodily processes may become culturally classified as polluting; Erving Goffman’s theory of stigma clarifies how menstruation can become a socially discrediting mark; and feminist scholarship demonstrates how apparently private bodily experiences are shaped by public institutions and gendered norms. Indian empirical studies further show that menstrual restrictions can affect mobility, education, worship, communication, and participation in public life. The paper argues that menstruation should be addressed not through exceptionalism or pity, but through equality, bodily autonomy, public health, dignity, and social inclusion.
Keywords	menstruation; menstrual taboo; stigma; purity and pollution; sociology; anthropology; feminist jurisprudence; constitutional dignity; menstrual equity; India
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-05

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