What Has COVID-19 Changed in Women's Daily Lives? ... Seoul City 'Wol-gyeong Gonggam Campaign'

Sharing Menstrual Experiences for Empathy and Encouragement... Emergency Sanitary Pads Available at 265 Public Institutions Expanded

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] #"With daycare centers closed for a long time, stress gradually worsened while working from home, and I went through three months of amenorrhea. I wanted to go to the hospital to check if there was a problem with my body, but I had no one to take care of my children, so I ended up neglecting it." (Working mom in her 30s)

#"Did you know that body temperature rises during ovulation? When I menstruate, I also get symptoms like enteritis and body aches, and since COVID-19 infection causes symptoms like fever, muscle pain, and diarrhea, I worry whether my premenstrual syndrome symptoms might be a COVID infection." (Student in her 20s)

The changes in life caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), such as unemployment and fear of infection, and increased household and childcare burdens on women while families stay home for extended periods, have had considerable effects on both body and mind. What impact did it have on menstruation, which occurs regularly every month?

Seoul City announced on the 19th that it will conduct an online awareness campaign titled "Our Daily Life Changed by COVID-19! How Is My Menstruation?" until the 14th of next month, in commemoration of 'Menarche Day (October 20)' and 'World Menopause Day (October 18)'.

This campaign was planned with the purpose of socially normalizing menstruation by sharing menstrual experiences during COVID-19 and overcoming difficult times together. Women menstruate more than 400 times and over 2,000 days in their lifetime from menarche to menopause, yet often lack understanding or information about menstruation and feel stressed because they think menstruation should be hidden. The campaign invites not only women but also men to recognize menstruation as natural and empathize with the difficulties experienced during menstruation.

By accessing the campaign website, one can view various formats of information related to women's sexual health, including videos, webtoons, posters, sexual health booklets, and card news. Additionally, 200 participants who share their menstrual experiences will be selected by lottery to receive various menstrual products such as menstrual panties, heating packs, and menstrual pain relief bands.

Meanwhile, Seoul City's public institution emergency sanitary pad provision project, which was piloted in youth facilities, comprehensive social welfare centers, women's facilities, and libraries after a citizen referendum in 2018, has expanded to 240 locations this year and is expected to increase to 265 institutions in the second half of the year. The city also distributed donated sanitary pads to 36 private organizations frequently used by local residents, such as village schools, village cafes, and cooperatives, and supported 317 women in blind spots with an annual supply of approximately 142,000 pads.

Song Da-young, Director of the Seoul City Women and Family Policy Office, said, "Amid the many difficulties citizens are facing due to COVID-19, this campaign was prepared to remind that menstruation is not trivial or annoying but an important part of daily life." She added, "We hope that sharing and empathizing with menstrual experiences will empower each other and serve as an opportunity to take care of one's health."