Invisible Until It’s an Emergency: Why Menstrual Needs Are Still Excluded from Public Planning

The Pattern of Neglect

Menstrual needs are rarely acknowledged in public planning until something goes wrong. A delayed flight. A missed school day. A long commute without access to a sanitary pad. Only in moments of crisis does the absence of menstrual infrastructure become visible.

This pattern reveals a deeper truth. Menstruation is not forgotten in public systems by accident. It is excluded by design.

1. Planning That Assumes a Male Default

Public infrastructure has historically been designed around bodies that do not menstruate. From urban transport systems to institutional buildings, the default user is assumed to be male.

This results in:

• Washrooms stocked with soap and water but no menstrual products

• Long travel routes without menstrual access points

• Workspaces that ignore cyclical health needs

• Emergency planning that excludes menstruation entirely

When bodies that menstruate are not considered in planning, exclusion becomes structural rather than incidental.

2. Why Menstrual Needs Are Treated as “Private.”

Menstruation is often categorised as a personal issue rather than a public responsibility. This framing allows institutions to distance themselves from accountability.

The consequences are predictable:

• Menstrual care is left to individual preparedness

• Emergencies are framed as personal lapses

• Systemic gaps are dismissed as unavoidable

Public planning fails when it treats a predictable biological process as an unpredictable personal problem.

3. Emergencies Expose What Routine Planning Hides

Menstrual neglect becomes visible only when circumstances intensify:

• Travel delays extend beyond expected hours

• Periods arrive early or are heavier than usual

• Pad changes are urgently needed in public settings

These moments are not anomalies. They are routine realities for menstruating individuals. The emergency is not the period; it is the absence of preparation.

4. Public Spaces Are Not Neutral

Airports, railway stations, courts, schools, government offices, and workplaces present themselves as neutral civic spaces. In practice, they often privilege one set of bodily needs over others.

A public space that cannot support menstruation:

• Restricts women’s mobility

• Disrupts education and work

• Increases health risks

• Undermines dignity

Neutrality that ignores difference is not fairness. It is exclusion.

5. Menstrual Neglect Is a Public Health Risk

The lack of access to menstrual products and disposal facilities increases the risk of:

• Prolonged pad usage

• Reproductive and urinary tract infections

• Skin irritation and discomfort

Public health planning that overlooks menstrual hygiene contradicts the goal of preventive care. Health systems cannot claim comprehensiveness while ignoring a recurring biological need.

6. The Policy Gap: Recognition Without Mandates

India has acknowledged menstrual health through schemes, guidelines, and awareness initiatives. However, recognition has not translated into enforceable public planning standards.

Key gaps include:

• No national mandate for menstrual products in public spaces

• Inconsistent implementation across states

• Dependence on NGOs or CSR initiatives

• Lack of maintenance accountability

Without mandates, menstrual access remains optional and therefore unreliable.

7. Why Visibility Alone Does Not Lead to Inclusion

Increased discussion around menstruation has improved awareness, but awareness alone does not build infrastructure.

Visibility without planning results in:

• Symbolic gestures rather than systemic change

• Pilot projects without scale

• Conversations without continuity

Public planning requires budgets, standards, and monitoring—not just narratives.

8. Menstrual Planning Is Not a Luxury

The argument that menstrual infrastructure is expensive or secondary does not hold.

The cost of:

• Pad vending machines

• Basic sanitary pad stocking

• Disposal units

is minimal compared to:

• Lost school and workdays

• Health care costs

• Reduced workforce participation

Planning for menstruation is not an added burden. It is an efficiency measure.

9. What Inclusive Public Planning Must Include

Menstrual-inclusive planning should be embedded into:

• Urban design guidelines

• Transport infrastructure

• Educational institutions

• Government buildings

• Workplace regulations

Core elements include:

• Guaranteed access to menstrual products

• Safe and hygienic disposal systems

• Clear signage

• Regular maintenance protocols

Planning works best when it anticipates needs rather than reacting to crises.

10. From Emergency Response to Everyday Preparedness

A just system does not wait for emergencies to act. It prepares for routine realities.

When menstrual needs are built into public planning:

• Emergencies reduce

• Dignity is preserved

• Participation increases

• Public spaces become truly inclusive

Preparedness is the quiet measure of progress.

Conclusion: Inclusion Begins Before the Crisis

Menstrual needs should never become visible only in moments of distress. Their exclusion from public planning reflects outdated assumptions about whose bodies public spaces are meant to serve.

If menstruation is predictable, planning must be proactive. If public spaces are meant for everyone, they must account for everyone. Inclusion does not begin during an emergency. It begins in the planning room.