A staggering majority of British dads think mums should tackle conversations about periods, a survey suggests. INTIMINA asked 1,250 dads across the UK, USA, France, Italy and Spain how comfortable they were talking to their daughters about menstruation.
Navigating puberty and the topic of periods can leave many dads feeling out of their depth or turning to others for help. Over half of dads surveyed by Intimina considered the conversation "awkward".
However, 78% said they had spoken with their daughter about menstruation. And more than three quarters had bought their daughter sanitary products.
According to British dads, the reasons they find menstruation a difficult subject include - it’s a sensitive topic (44%), they feel like they can’t relate to it (40%) and they fear they don’t know enough about the subject (38%). Others worry their daughter will ask a question they don’t know the answer to (29%) or that they will say the wrong thing (29%).
The data also suggested that menstruation is becoming less taboo in the UK as dads seek to learn more to support their daughters. Intimina said it was prompted to carry out the survey by numerous questions from single dads on how to approach the subject with their children.
A spokesperson said: "Overall, the findings are hopeful. The data from INTIMINA shows that menstruation is becoming less taboo in the UK as dads seek to learn more to support their daughters.
"Even though these findings are encouraging, there are still many dads out there who need a bit of reassurance and additional education when it comes to period talks. When initiating conversations about menstruation with teenage daughters, tools such as INTIMINA’s The Wonder Girls Guide Book (also available as an audio book) can be really useful."
