Latest news with #NatashaJamal
Business Standard
6 days ago
- General
- Business Standard
Beyond Blood: Mahina Launches India's First Report on the Invisible Mental Load of Menstruation
NewsVoir Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 4: Mahina, a purpose-driven period care brand, announced the release of a groundbreaking comprehensive report on the World Menstrual Day titled "Beyond Blood: The Unseen Burden of Every Cycle." With this report, the brand shifts focus to a new frontier - the invisible labour menstruators face every cycle. Drawn from the lived experiences of over 1,000 menstruators across eight major cities, aged between 18-45 years, the report unveils a rarely measured truth known to women: Every cycle brings not just blood but an unspoken mental load carried in silence. The emotional strain, disrupted routines, and the pressure to "push through" without complaint- a critical yet long-ignored dimension of menstrual health has been finally acknowledged through the findings of this report. While conversations around menstruation have long focused on rural access, hygiene, and age-old taboos, Mahina's new report shifts the spotlight to an often-ignored reality: the urban menstruator. It uncovers critical gaps in awareness, product design, and support--bringing to light the invisible mental load that comes with managing a period every month, for 30 to 40 years of a woman's life. Speaking about the report Natasha Jamal, Founder of Mahina said, "For too long, the mental load of menstruation has been normalised and ignored. This report is Mahina's way of saying: we see it, we measure it, and we're done accepting silence as the standard. We've always talked about periods in terms of blood. But what no one talks about is everything else, the planning, the pretending, the emotional weight. With this report, we wanted to name that invisible labour and finally give it the recognition it deserves." To view the full report, click here; Summary of the report given below: Report Summary What Every Period Truly Demands Menstruation is more than a biological function--it's a recurring experience that demands ongoing adjustments. Yet, much of this burden remains unseen, unheard, and unacknowledged. * 62% of menstruators reported masking their period symptoms to appear 'normal' in professional and social settings. * 73% said they are impacted by hormonal and emotional changes during their period but feel compelled to underplay * Only 3% of menstruators report making no changes during their cycle. The remaining 97% adjust and adapt their lives every month to accommodate menstrual symptoms--physically, emotionally, or logistically. Nearly 3 in 4 women experience a week of routine disruption and hidden labor every month. The First Period Comes with No Manual A generational influence often shapes how young women navigate their menstrual cycles, yet remains largely unspoken -- despite more open conversations today, the first period is still marked by anxiety, confusion, and frustration. * 76% of menstruators felt the emotional weight of their periods at 8-14, on the onset of their 1st cycle * While 73% were introduced to menstruation by their mothers, 4 in 5 still felt unprepared for their first period. * Half of menstruators say they felt excluded by family during their periods, and 2 in 3 say men expect them to manage it quietly. The Physical and Mental Load The mental load shapes how menstruators speak, sit, sleep, and move. * Leak anxiety is a major contributor to menstrual stress: 72% use extra protection during their period, yet 67% still experience leaks. * 38% wake up in the middle of the night to check or change menstrual products. * Many resort to layering or using multiple products simultaneously. * Emotionally, 64% feel "unlike themselves" during PMS, and 58% dread their periods due to unpredictability. * Among women aged 25-30, 2 in 3 experience heightened daytime anxiety about leaks * Amongst this 3 in 5 sit or move cautiously in public during their periods. * Remarkably, 1 in 4 respondents said they would prefer to skip their period entirely, highlighting how burdensome and disruptive the experience can be. How Modern Menstruators Have Adapted What menstruators want isn't more--it's getting the basics right. * 56% prioritize comfort and flexibility as their most urgent needs, followed by leak-proof protection and skin-friendly materials. * In the absence of institutional support, menstruators are creating their own systems of care: 74% carry period products not only for themselves but also for friends, colleagues, and even strangers--a quiet but powerful culture of mutual support. * Additionally, 1 in 3 use digital tools like cycle trackers and mental wellness apps to better manage their periods. Additionally, an interesting insight from the report also revealed a complex duality in society today: while 1 in 2 respondents believe period pain is real, yet underestimated and 53% support open conversations, deep-rooted biases continue to persist. More than half still view period blood as impure; 55% think periods should last exactly five days; and 71% believe delaying a period with medication is harmful. These conflicting attitudes--often held by the same individuals--show there is no singular narrative, only recurring patterns of silence and stigma. It is in this quiet tension between progress and taboo that the real story of menstruation unfolds. In summary, the report highlights key gaps that must be addressed to raise awareness and drive a period revolution -- one that challenges taboos, demands safer and more inclusive products, and reclaims the narrative around menstruation. The goal isn't just to create products that do the job, but to innovate with purpose and ease the mental and emotional burden that menstruators carry every month Mahina is deeply committed to leading this change, not just by innovating smarter, more supportive period care but by actively working to reduce the mental load menstruators face. Through this report, Mahina hopes to ignite a much-needed conversation around dignity, design, and the future of rural well-being. Made in India and rigorously tested, Mahina is the country's first brand offering bonded, leak-proof, absorbent period underwear, setting a new standard in menstrual care with a focus on comfort, performance, and sustainability. Aimed at transforming the period experience, Mahina provides meticulously engineered, reusable, and planet-friendly products personalized for every flow. Crafted with real Indian bodies and lifestyles in mind, Mahina blends form and function: a sleek, stitch-free gusset, four absorbency levels, and reusability for 100 washes. More than just a product, Mahina is a movement that champions body positivity, empowers informed choices, and advocates for menstrual equity.
Fashion Value Chain
6 days ago
- General
- Fashion Value Chain
Beyond Blood: Mahina Launches India's First Report on the Invisible Mental Load of Menstruation
Mahina, a purpose-driven period care brand, announced the release of a groundbreaking comprehensive report on the World Menstrual Day titled 'Beyond Blood: The Unseen Burden of Every Cycle.' With this report, the brand shifts focus to a new frontier – the invisible labour menstruators face every cycle. Drawn from the lived experiences of over 1,000 menstruators across eight major cities, aged between 18-45 years, the report unveils a rarely measured truth known to women: Every cycle brings not just blood but an unspoken mental load carried in silence. The emotional strain, disrupted routines, and the pressure to 'push through' without complaint- a critical yet long-ignored dimension of menstrual health has been finally acknowledged through the findings of this report. Beyond Blood: Mahina Launches India's First Report on the Invisible Mental Load of Menstruation While conversations around menstruation have long focused on rural access, hygiene, and age-old taboos, Mahina's new report shifts the spotlight to an often-ignored reality: the urban menstruator. It uncovers critical gaps in awareness, product design, and support-bringing to light the invisible mental load that comes with managing a period every month, for 30 to 40 years of a woman's life. Speaking about the report Natasha Jamal, Founder of Mahina said,'For too long, the mental load of menstruation has been normalised and ignored. This report is Mahina's way of saying: we see it, we measure it, and we're done accepting silence as the standard. We've always talked about periods in terms of blood. But what no one talks about is everything else, the planning, the pretending, the emotional weight. With this report, we wanted to name that invisible labour and finally give it the recognition it deserves.' To view the full report, click here; Summary of the report given below: Report Summary What Every Period Truly Demands Menstruation is more than a biological function-it's a recurring experience that demands ongoing adjustments. Yet, much of this burden remains unseen, unheard, and unacknowledged. 62% of menstruators reported masking their period symptoms to appear 'normal' in professional and social settings. 73% said they are impacted by hormonal and emotional changes during their period but feel compelled to underplay Only 3% of menstruators report making no changes during their cycle. The remaining 97% adjust and adapt their lives every month to accommodate menstrual symptoms-physically, emotionally, or logistically. Nearly 3 in 4 women experience a week of routine disruption and hidden labor every month. â The First Period Comes with No Manual A generational influence often shapes how young women navigate their menstrual cycles, yet remains largely unspoken – despite more open conversations today, the first period is still marked by anxiety, confusion, and frustration. 76% of menstruators felt the emotional weight of their periods at 8-14, on the onset of their 1st cycle While 73% were introduced to menstruation by their mothers , 4 in 5 still felt unprepared for their first period. Half of menstruators say they felt excluded by family during their periods, and 2 in 3 say men expect them to manage it quietly. The Physical and Mental Load The mental load shapes how menstruators speak, sit, sleep, and move. Leak anxiety is a major contributor to menstrual stress: 72% use extra protection during their period, yet 67% still experience leaks. 38% wake up in the middle of the night to check or change menstrual products. Many resort to layering or using multiple products simultaneously. Emotionally, 64% feel ' unlike themselves ' during PMS, and 58% dread their periods due to unpredictability. Among women aged 25-30, 2 in 3 experience heightened daytime anxiety about leaks Amongst this 3 in 5 sit or move cautiously in public during their periods. Remarkably, 1 in 4 respondents said they would prefer to skip their period entirely, highlighting how burdensome and disruptive the experience can be. How Modern Menstruators Have Adapted What menstruators want isn't more-it's getting the basics right. 56% prioritize comfort and flexibility as their most urgent needs, followed by leak-proof protection and skin-friendly materials. In the absence of institutional support, menstruators are creating their own systems of care: 74% carry period products not only for themselves but also for friends, colleagues, and even strangers -a quiet but powerful culture of mutual support. Additionally, 1 in 3 use digital tools like cycle trackers and mental wellness apps to better manage their periods. â Additionally, an interesting insight from the report also revealed a complex duality in society today: while 1 in 2 respondents believe period pain is real, yet underestimated and 53% support open conversations, deep-rooted biases continue to persist. More than half still view period blood as impure; 55% think periods should last exactly five days; and 71% believe delaying a period with medication is harmful. These conflicting attitudes-often held by the same individuals-show there is no singular narrative, only recurring patterns of silence and stigma. It is in this quiet tension between progress and taboo that the real story of menstruation unfolds. In summary, the report highlights key gaps that must be addressed to raise awareness and drive a period revolution – one that challenges taboos, demands safer and more inclusive products, and reclaims the narrative around menstruation. The goal isn't just to create products that do the job, but to innovate with purpose and ease the mental and emotional burden that menstruators carry every month Mahina is deeply committed to leading this change, not just by innovating smarter, more supportive period care but by actively working to reduce the mental load menstruators face. Through this report, Mahina hopes to ignite a much-needed conversation around dignity, design, and the future of rural well-being. About Mahina Made in India and rigorously tested, Mahina is the country's first brand offering bonded, leak-proof, absorbent period underwear, setting a new standard in menstrual care with a focus on comfort, performance, and sustainability. Aimed at transforming the period experience, Mahina provides meticulously engineered, reusable, and planet-friendly products personalized for every flow. Crafted with real Indian bodies and lifestyles in mind, Mahina blends form and function: a sleek, stitch-free gusset, four absorbency levels, and reusability for 100 washes. More than just a product, Mahina is a movement that champions body positivity, empowers informed choices, and advocates for menstrual equity.
Associated Press
11-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Mastercard: The Game Is Afoot! How Gamification Is Helping Improve Financial Health in Latin America
Mastercard Creating and sticking with good habits isn't easy. It takes time and repetition and requires the kind of discipline that, for many of us, is hard to access. That's where gamification comes in. The idea behind this strategy is that by introducing the elements of a game — competition, rewards and fun — you can motivate people to make better choices again and again until they become habits. Tech companies are using it to build tools that, for example, help kids with diabetes more efficiently manage their blood sugar by monitoring a baby dragon's blood sugar. Financial institutions can harness this same technology to advance inclusion. As banks look for ways to build trust and encourage people to use digital tools that can help them better manage their finances, gamification is proving to be a powerful option, especially in Latin America, where account ownership and financial digitalization is growing faster than in other regions. Gamification can help those new users improve their financial health and become long-term customers of banks. Studies have shown that gamification can help people financially stay on track with things like bill and loan payments, which means better credit, more financial stability and a strengthened relationship with their bank. 'Moving people from access to usage of financial tools can go a long way toward building a more financially inclusive world, but getting people to usage is still a challenge,' says Natasha Jamal, vice president of social impact for Mastercard Strive, a global program that helps small businesses around the world to thrive in the digital economy. Making financial services fun 'Part of the challenge is that in some cultures, simply talking about money can be taboo,' says Pedro Moura, co-founder of Flourish Fi, a California-based fintech that combines gamification with behavioral science to increase customer loyalty and engagement with financial institutions across the Americas. That means consumers are missing the knowledge they need to embrace healthy financial habits, and banks have an opportunity to help with that financial education. When money isn't discussed, good money management can feel out of reach. 'This can be as simple as paying their bills on time, building a little bit of a rainy-day fund or making smarter decisions in their financial lives,' says Moura, who was the first in his family to access financial services in the U.S. after they emigrated Brazil. 'We're turning that interaction from transactional into a fun element.' Flourish Fi, a veteran of Mastercard's Start Path startup engagement program, aims to help banks better connect with people who are new to the banking system. Moura says the key is mixing personalized nudges with data intelligence and incentives to drive behavior. Flourish Fi uses APIs — the application programming interfaces that help software systems talk to each other — to connect with financial institution partners' apps or websites to give consumers opportunities to play games that help them improve their financial health. When customers log in to their account, paying bills on time might trigger a wheel of prizes for them to spin. Or they may choose settings that automatically make micro-deposits based on a beloved sports team's wins. In partnership with a number of banks, Flourish Fi rolled out its product in Brazil and across Latin America for individuals in 2018. After using Flourish Fi, consumers increased their deposit values by 32% and their online bill payments by 26%, and they doubled their usage of partner banking apps. Banks and credit unions also benefit from the technology because it helps them strengthen customer relationships and build trust with people who might otherwise transact offline. Brazil's Banco Carrefour and Bolivia's BancoSol have found that customers log in to their app or website twice as much as they did before Flourish Fi was added, Moura says. Customers who previously saved nothing over six to eight months now save some $600 over the same period. Incentives on Flourish Fi, such as the ability to spend points earned from quiz-taking or on-time loan payments on prizes, also mean that banks' repayment levels are rising. Bringing gamification to small businesses Most recently, Flourish Fi forged a partnership with Mastercard Strive to expand its service to yet another group in need: micro-entrepreneurs. These small-business owners often struggle to use digital financial services to help them meet their business goals. In Brazil, 77% of micro-entrepreneurs have never taken a course or training in finance, according to Brazilian micro- and small-business support service Sebrae. At the same time, one in three don't check their bank account and have no record of money coming in and out of their business. Through gamification, Flourish Fi incentivizes responsible financial business management practices like saving or investing money and paying loans and bills on time. For example, Flourish Fi helped inspire Brazilian corner store owner Maria Lourdes to digitize her business. 'What's top of mind for a small entrepreneur is they want to sell more and manage their time more effectively,' Moura says, 'and we support individuals with journeys of better understanding financial services.' Using Flourish Fi, Lourdes was incentivized by personalized rewards and micro-content on ways she can bolster her business by accepting digital payments and then paying her bills with the money she's bringing in. Micro-content on the app also taught her how to further tap into financial services to enhance her business's financial health. Flourish Fi now helps 375,000 people across five countries. But there are millions of individuals like Lourdes who still need support, Moura says. It's his hope that through continued partnerships with the private sector, Flourish Fi will foster many more individuals' and small businesses' resilience and growth by incentivizing them to make better use of digital financial services and build responsible money management habits. 'If you design a more inclusive financial system, you're unlocking the dreams of millions of individuals,' Moura says. 'People want to be the best version of themselves. They just need access, support and sometimes just a little bit of a reward to stick on their path.'
