Myths and Facts About Menstruation
Menstruation taboos and stigma, which restrict girls and women from leading a normal life or participating in family and school, are severely debilitating and oppressive for women. Stigma combined with lack of access to sanitary products and proper knowledge on managing periods put girls and women at a disadvantage and are contraindicative to achieving gender equality.…
Menstruation Stigma And Mental Health- A Silent Connection
Menstruation Let us start by defining Menstruation as the periodic discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus, from puberty until menopause. It is a necessary biological function experienced by half of the population. It is similar to other biological functions such as sleeping, breathing, urinating and so on. Menstruation: Stigma And Taboos Despite roughly…
Stigma And Mental Health Impact Of Divorce On Women: A Nigerian Perspective
Divorce refers to the termination of a marriage or a marital union. Divorce usually involves the cancellation or reorganization of a person’s legal duties and responsibilities which were extended to him/her through marriage or bonds of matrimony. In most countries, divorce is required by law so as to allow the former partner to marry another person…
Women’s Mental Health: There is No Shame in Caring About YOU Enough
Women’s mental health is a topic that is surrounded by stigmas and uncomfortable taboos. Mental health in general is something that is often taken for granted or is ignored completely. This happens even more when discussing women’s mental health because of the scrutiny the female gender is often placed under. This article will focus on women’s…
The Burden of Unpaid Care on Women
According to the OECD Development Centre, it is estimated that across the globe, women carry out two to ten times more unpaid care than men. This unwritten expectation that women should carry out these tasks is long-standing. Gender stereotypes and norms have become deeply entrenched in society’s psyche. This article examines what unpaid care is, why…
Empowering Survivors Of Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse or violence is a pattern of threatening behavior, violence or abuse (psychological, stalking, physical, harassment, online or digital abuse, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Domestic violence can be a single act or a pattern of controlling and toxic…
Widowhood Practices In Nigeria And Abuse Of Women’s Right
Widowhood is a tragedy that befalls a married person as a result of the timely or untimely death of the spouse. In many cultures, widowhood in women is considered as stigma and widows as inauspicious. Various tribes and cultures in Nigeria have diverse ways of practicing rites pertaining to burial, but traditions are particularly hard on…
Kirsten Helgeson: Founder of Just A Girl
Kirsten Helgeson is a social change strategist and advocate, who is using tech to drive mental health and women’s empowerment efforts globally. Kirsten believes in active compassion, creativity and connection- that if we want to make the world a better place, we have to start by building authentic, honest relationships. With that goal, Kirsten has founded…
Hegemonic Masculinity and Men’s Mental Health
Being a Man in a Patriarchal Society Remember Tyler Durden? You know, Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Yeah, that Brad Pitt. The alpha of all alpha males. A dangerously bold, edgy personality with a body that could rival Adonis. A leader, creator, and commander of the pack. He made his woman scream in bed, smoked cigarettes…
Objectification and Exploitation of Girls and Women by the Mass Media and Social Media
Objectification of Women by the Mass Media From the early nineteenth century, in television, films, commercials, and music videos, sexualization and objectification of women became an increasingly growing trend. Mainstream media has always used a false and unreal image of women’s physical appearance, body image, behavioral standards and beauty. Today, across television, billboards, glossy pages of…
