The ideological tension between the general public and political actors has been building for some time.

An incident in February 2025 foreshadowed this renewed wave of moral scrutiny. Two stalls operated by Stay Safe distributed sanitary napkins to women at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka. They were met with a barrage of objections from conservative religious groups. Critics deemed the public distribution of menstrual products inappropriate and labelled menstruation a “private matter”.

In Bangla, gopon kotha translates to “a secret”. Yet there is an important distinction between something private and something secret. A private matter is concealed by choice and agency, whereas a secret is concealed out of fear.

Politics of morality

In Bangladesh, menstrual health and hygiene have long been treated as taboo. It is often considered a topic not to be discussed, even at the expense of women’s wellbeing. During menstruation, women are frequently labelled “impure”. Such narratives, combined with the silence surrounding menstrual health, foster feelings of shame.

According to a 2017 report by the World Bank, only 6 per cent of schools in Bangladesh provided education on health and hygiene. In addition, just 36 per cent of girls had prior knowledge about menstruation before experiencing their first period. Although the data is dated, it illustrates how cultural and religious narratives have historically reinforced silence and stigma.

Resistance to these norms is frequently met with dismissal or ridicule, sometimes even from women who have themselves suffered under the same system.

A 2025 study by WaterAid found that approximately 77 per cent of women face difficulties accessing menstrual products due to societal stigma, economic barriers and inadequate facilities in schools and workplaces. Women are expected to conform to sociocultural and religious expectations, even when doing so compromises their health. This reinforces the notion that menstruation must remain a gopon kotha.

Theorist Judith Butler argued in 1990 that gender is not something one inherently is, but something one performs through repeated acts. In this context, silence, shame and “impurity” become socially constructed performances imposed upon women.

The topic of taboo

In Bangladesh, the limited and often hushed conversations about menstrual health reinforce traditional gender roles. Labelling women “impure” during menstruation reflects and sustains patriarchal hierarchies. Women’s voices are frequently suppressed to preserve male comfort.

Women are traditionally expected to remain within the domestic sphere, guided by societal, moral and familial expectations. However, recent years have witnessed shifts in these roles, with more women asserting their agency and entering the workforce.

The female labour force participation rate reached approximately 42.7 per cent in 2022, up from 36.3 per cent in 2017. However, it remains significantly lower than the male participation rate of around 80 per cent. While this progress signals change, setbacks remain evident.

According to Asia Daily in 2025, female labour force participation declined from 25.3 million in 2023 to 23.7 million in 2024. These fluctuations suggest that even as women challenge traditional norms, broader political narratives and moral policing continue to influence public perception.

In the context of the recent electoral campaign, certain political groups have once again sought to regulate women’s agency by shaping moral narratives. This has often resulted in women being pitted against one another. A housewife is celebrated, while a working woman may be scrutinised. Such dichotomies place women at the centre of moral judgement rather than policy progress.

Bangladesh stands at a crossroads of political transformation. Yet discussions of morality and dignity have dominated the discourse and, at times, overshadowed substantive policy debates. The ideological gap between political rhetoric and the lived realities of ordinary women becomes evident in voter engagement. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha in 2026, 62,885,525 women cast their votes. This demonstrates that many women exercised their democratic agency despite moral pressures.

Change is underway in Bangladesh, but its direction remains uncertain. The question is no longer whether menstruation is a gopon kotha. The deeper question is why women’s autonomy continues to be treated as one.

The writer is an undergraduate student of Anthropology at a private university in Bangladesh