Eliminating discrimination against women in the area of health and safety, with a focus on the instrumentalization of women's bodies 2016, para. 70
Paragraph
Paragraph text
The stigma and shame generated by stereotypes around menstruation have severe impacts on all aspects of women's and girls' lives, on their dignity and well-being as well as on their right to education and to employment, as they may feel obliged to stay home from school or work every month because of appropriate facilities and hygienic items are not available. Characterizing women's menstrual pain as "neurotic" tends to make women reluctant to seek help, which can delay diagnosis of, for example, the severely disabling disease of endometriosis, in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows in an abnormal anatomical location.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
Equality & Inclusion
Gender
Health
Person(s) affected
Girls
Women
Year
2016
Paragraph type
Other
Reference
WG Discrimination Against Women, Report to the HRC (2016), A/HRC/32/44, para. 70.