Dignity Under the Shade: Assessing Menstrual Health Challenges and Occupational Barriers Among Female Tea Pluckers in Bangladesh
1
Institute of business administration, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is a fundamental pillar of public health, yet for the 360,000 tea garden workers in Bangladesh, it is an area of severe neglect. This paper investigates the intersection of occupational environment and menstrual dignity, exploring how lack of WASH facilities impacts the health and productivity of female workers.
METHODS:
This analysis synthesized 2024 survey data from the Sylhet and Chattogram divisions. We evaluated workplace conditions, including access to private toilets, clean water, and the prevalence of "period poverty" (inability to afford sanitary materials).
RESULTS:
Data reveals that 98% of female workers find it difficult to manage menstruation during plucking shifts due to a total lack of private latrines in the fields. Consequently, 90% suffer from health issues such as genital itching and infections linked to unhygienic practices. Economic insolvency (average wage ~170 BDT) makes sanitary pads unaffordable, forcing almost all workers to use old cloths that cannot be dried or stored hygienically in overcrowded labor "lines."
CONCLUSIONS:
Menstrual hygiene is an occupational health right. This study calls for the "Shujog" model of reform: installing gender-segregated WASH facilities in the gardens and providing subsidized menstrual kits through the plantation's social protection schemes. Addressing MHH is critical for the inclusion and economic resilience of Bangladesh’s tea-plucking workforce.
Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is a fundamental pillar of public health, yet for the 360,000 tea garden workers in Bangladesh, it is an area of severe neglect. This paper investigates the intersection of occupational environment and menstrual dignity, exploring how lack of WASH facilities impacts the health and productivity of female workers.
METHODS:
This analysis synthesized 2024 survey data from the Sylhet and Chattogram divisions. We evaluated workplace conditions, including access to private toilets, clean water, and the prevalence of "period poverty" (inability to afford sanitary materials).
RESULTS:
Data reveals that 98% of female workers find it difficult to manage menstruation during plucking shifts due to a total lack of private latrines in the fields. Consequently, 90% suffer from health issues such as genital itching and infections linked to unhygienic practices. Economic insolvency (average wage ~170 BDT) makes sanitary pads unaffordable, forcing almost all workers to use old cloths that cannot be dried or stored hygienically in overcrowded labor "lines."
CONCLUSIONS:
Menstrual hygiene is an occupational health right. This study calls for the "Shujog" model of reform: installing gender-segregated WASH facilities in the gardens and providing subsidized menstrual kits through the plantation's social protection schemes. Addressing MHH is critical for the inclusion and economic resilience of Bangladesh’s tea-plucking workforce.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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