GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER 2020 OVERVIEW GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER We are committed to creating a world where women can live the life BY SHOWING PERIOD BLOOD FOR they want by breaking NOW THE FIRST TIME, WE WANTED the taboos that can hold TO NORMALISE PERIODS We’ve created the Global V Taboo Tracker to help them back. women break free from the V-Zone* discrimination But we know this is no that can bring shame, pressure and embarrassment small task, discrimination to their daily lives. in our societies is endemic BY SHOWING SINGING and embedded. We are listening to the experiences of taboos to drive We won’t stop until taboos VULVAS, WE WANTED TO HELP institutional change across the world, tracking and have been challenged, WOMEN UNDERSTAND THAT representing their experiences in an open and honest understood and accepted THEY NEEDN’T BE ASHAMED way, enabling cultural changes. by societ y. OF THEIR INTIMATE AREAS. The Global V Taboo Tracker is a long-term commitment that will inform, inspire and help positively impact the conversation around women’s V-Zone. BY SHOWING WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES, * The V-Zone is what we use to describe the vagina and WE WANTED TO GIVE A VOICE TO THE vulva and the V-shaped front you can see. Everything UNSEEN, UNSPOKEN AND UNKNOWN inside your pants, that’s the V-zone. TRUTHS ABOUT WOMEN’S BODIES. 2020 METHODOLOGY & BENCHMARKING GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER METHODOLOGY Based on the strategic women across seven knowledge and framework markets: the U.K., France, developed by Kitchen8 Mexico, Argentina, Russia, to understand the nature China, and Malaysia. of V-Zone taboos and The survey was fielded how they affect women between January 15th, 2020 worldwide, Ketchum and January 23rd, 2020. Analytics conducted an The margin of error at a 95% online survey among a confidence level is +/- .83%. total of 14,089 men and BENCHMARKING For this research we conducted secondary research and identified the benchmark at which affect everyone in the a topic or action is same way. Our ambition is to shine generally considered a For us, if even one woman a light on these important taboo is 20%, or one in five. feels stigma or shame issues and to not stop However, we understand towards an issue, that’s until all taboos have that taboos do not always one woman too many. been tackled. 2020 THE TOP FIVE TABOOS PERPETUATED BY BOTH WOMEN & MEN GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER While 66% of women say THE TOP TABOOS THAT MEN & WOMEN that periods are being EQUALLY PERPETUATE: portrayed in adverts in a more normalised way, they are just as likely WOMEN SHOULDN’T PERIOD PAIN IS JUST WOMEN SHOULDN’T as men to hold taboos HAVE SEX DURING SOMETHING WOMEN HAVE SEX DURING THEIR THEIR PERIOD BECUASE HAVE TO DEAL WITH PERIOD BECAUSE surrounding menstruation. IT’S UNHYGENIC IT’S GROSS Moreover, a third of women and men both believe vaginal discharge is gross and further 54% 52% 51% 52% 45% 43% perpetuate taboos OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE surrounding women’s intimate area. WOMEN WHO HAVE SEX VAGINAL DISCHARGE WHEN ON THEIR PERIOD IS GROSS ARE LOOSE SEXUALLY NOTES: 33% 32% 29% 33% Agree: % selecting somewhat or completely agree OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE BASE: Q: To what extent do you personally agree with the following statements? All women: n =7,055 Q: Indicate your level of agreement regarding current efforts in your country to improve perceptions of women’s intimate areas? All men: n =7,034 2020 THE TOP TABOOS HELD BY WOMEN AGAINST WOMEN GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER In an ideal world, THE TOP TABOOS THAT WOMEN ARE FUELING: women and men would both abandon societal conventions about womanhood. However, there are instances where women continue to perpetuate 54% taboos against themselves. OF WOMEN AGREE Although women hold these taboos, men THAT WOMEN SHOULDN’T 45% HAVE SEX DURING THEIR continue to perpetuate OF WOMEN AGREE PERIOD BECAUSE IT’S the stigma. UNHYGIENIC THAT WOMEN SHOULDN’T HAVE SEX DURING THEIR PERIOD BECAUSE IT’S GROSS NOTES: Agree: % selecting somewhat or completely agree BASE: Q: To what extent do you personally agree with the following statements? All women: n =7,055 2020 THE TOP TABOOS HELD BY MEN AGAINST WOMEN GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER In an ideal world, THE TOP TABOOS THAT MEN ARE FUELING: women and men would both abandon societal conventions about womanhood. 52% OF MEN 51% OF MEN 43% OF MEN There are several instances where men hold these SAY WOMEN SHOULDN'T AGREE IT IS AGREE THAT WOMEN stigmatizing views, with HAVE SEX DURING EMBARRASSING FOR WOMEN SHOULDN’T HAVE SEX menstruation featured THEIR PERIOD BECAUSE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR DURING THEIR PERIOD in three of the top five IT’S UNHYGIENIC INTIMATE AREA OPENLY BECAUSE IT’S GROSS taboos men perpetuate against women. 51% OF MEN 32% OF MEN AGREE IT IS EMBARRASSING AGREE IF A WOMAN FOR WOMEN TO HAS AN ABORTION, TALK ABOUT THEIR SHE SHOULD BE MENSTRUATION OPENLY ASHAMED OF HERSELF NOTES: Agree: % selecting somewhat or completely agree BASE: Q: To what extent do you personally agree with the following statements? All men: n =7,03 4 2020 SHAME AND EMBARRASSMENT ABOUT THEIR INTIMATE AREA PERSISTS AS A TABOO FOR WOMEN GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER Women’s intimate area THE TOP TABOOS AMONG WOMEN RELATED causes the most shame TO THEIR INTIMATE AREA: and embarrassment for women. One in two women find the subject embarrassing to discuss, with one in five women reporting feelings of shame attached to their 21% 51% OF WOMEN intimate area. OF WOMEN say they have been say it is embarrassing for 22% shamed by their partner a woman to talk openly for the way their intimate about her intimate area OF WOMEN area looks or smells say they have felt the need to apologise for the way their intimate area looks or smells when being with a partner NOTES: Agree: % selecting somewhat or completely agree BASE: Q: To what extent do you personally agree with the following statements? All women: n = 7,055 2020 GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER A QUARTER OF WOMEN 39% THE TOPICS WOMEN 38% SAY THEY HAVE NEVER SAY THEY HAVE NEVER DISCUSSED THEIR DISCUSSED WITH ANYONE INTIMATE AREA OR SEXUAL PLEASURE WITH ANYONE 26% 26% 25% There are some areas of a woman’s physical and emotional wellbeing that 21% 21% she doesn’t share with anyone. A quarter of women have never discussed their own sexual pleasure and intimate area, % 13 % % 10 10 % more so than money/salary. 9 8% NOTES: Q: Which of these have you ever discussed with... SEXUAL IDENTITY GENDER IDENTITY GENDER EQUALITY SEXUAL PLEASURE AREAINTIMATE HEALTH MENTAL PERSONAL HYGIENE CHILDREN HAVING MENSTRUATION MARRIAGE/RELATIONSHIPS MONEY/SALARY LIFESTYLEHEALTHY HABITS BASE: All women: n = 7,055 2020 GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER OVER A THIRD OF MEN 38% THE TOPICS MEN S AY % 37 % HAVE NEVER DISCUSSED 36 THEY HAVE NEVER MENSTRUATION WITH DISCUSSED WITH ANYONE ANYONE, MORE THAN THEIR OWN MENTAL HEALTH 28% 26% 25% There are some topics men do not share with anyone. 22% % Over a third of men have never discussed 21 menstruation with anyone, even more % so than their mental health or 16 14% % having children. 11 10% NOTES: Q: Which of these have you ever discussed with... MENSTRUATION GENDER IDENTITY SEXUAL IDENTITY GENDER EQUALITY AREA INTIMATE YOUR HEALTH MENTAL PERSONAL HYGIENE SEXUAL PLEASURE CHILDREN HAVING MARRIAGE/RELATIONSHIPS LIFESTYLEHEALTHY HABITS MONEY/SALARY BASE: All men: n = 7,034 2020 ONLY TWO IN FIVE COUPLES HAVE DISCUSSED MENSTRUATION OR HER INTIMATE AREA GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER Despite most women and ATTITUDES TO PERIOD PAIN: men saying that women should feel comfortable discussing period pain with others, this topic remains 71% OF WOMEN 87% OF WOMEN so taboo that only two in & 59% OF MEN & 77% OF MEN five women say they have discussed menstruation AGREE THAT WOMEN SHOULD AGREE THAT WOMEN SHOULD with their partner. FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING TO Likewise, only 43% of TO OTHERS ABOUT HOW THEIR DOCTOR IF THEIR PERIOD women say they have talked about their intimate PAINFUL THEIR PERIOD IS PAIN BECOMES UNBEARABLE area with their partner and only 56% have discussed sexual pleasure with KEY TOPICS WOMEN SAY THEY HAVE DISCUSSED WITH THEIR PARTNER/SPOUSE: their partner. SEXUAL HER INTIMATE NEARLY HALF PLEASURE AREA OF WOMEN HAVE NEVER DISCUSSED THEIR MENSTRUATION WITH THEIR PARTNER NOTES: 56% 43% BASE: Agree: % selecting somewhat or completely agree All women: n =7,055 Q: To what extent do you personally agree with the following statements? All men: n =7,034 2020 TABOOS AROUND MENOPAUSE GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER Taboos around TWO-FIFTHS OF WOMEN BELIEVE THAT SOCIETY SEES menopause and ageing WOMEN WHO HAVE ENTERED MENOPAUSE AS OLD are present globally. Compared to men, women more often show more positive attitudes towards older women. OLDER WOMEN SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT THEIR PERIODS However, women also OR MENOPAUSE IF A WOMAN IS WHEN A WOMAN perpetuate menopause EXPERIENCING MENOPAUSE, ENTERS MENOPAUSE, and ageing taboos as they SHE HAS LOST HER PEOPLE START TO FEMININITY SEE HER AS OLD are more likely than men to believe society sees those who have entered 71% 57% menopause as old. OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE 75% 61% 42% 35% OF WOMEN OF MEN DISAGREE OF WOMEN AGREE OF MEN AGREE DISAGREE NOTES: BASE: Agree: % selecting somewhat or completely agree All women: n =7,055 Q: To what extent do you personally agree with the following statements? All men: n =7,034 2020 AREAS OF PROGRESS IN 2020 GLOBAL V TABOO TRACKER Globally, women face taboos every day.