So, why is menstruation so taboo in China? And why is there such mystery and squeamishness surrounding the materials women use to deal with their periods?The answer is inherently tied to the position of women in Chinese society . "Despite huge social changes and reforms in the last three decades, China is in some ways still a conservative, Confucian , and — at least in its politics and public face — patriarchal society," said Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London.Despite "constituting an empowered minority " in China, due to the country's unbalanced sex ratio, women are largely absent from the top echelons of Chinese politics, and only make up about a third of the main business leaders, Brown told Refinery29.All of these factors help to create an environment in which "maleness" is the default, and women's concerns are not a priority.When it comes to periods and why menstruation is a sensitive topic in particular, Brown told Refinery29, "I guess you have to think about the fetishization of the female body, the ways in which in protocapitalist [early capitalist] Chinese modern society, the female body has become a commodified form, and how very ideal and unrealistic expectations towards women's physical appearance are promoted in the Chinese media — witness the huge numbers of plastic surgery places now , and the plethora of dieting and other regimes."So, while women in China have gained influence and other benefits during the last six decades of communist rule, they still suffer discrimination and face glass ceilings, Brown said. "The swimmer Fu has managed to contribute at the Olympics by opening up another area of discourse which was closed down till now. And that is a good thing," he added.Ignorance surrounding menstruation is far from confined to China, however, and periods remain a taboo and sensitive topic in societies around the world Less than a week ago, before Yuanhui's comments, it emerged that a gym in Georgia banned women from using the pool when on their periods . Unfortunately it seems there's a long way to go before everyone grasps the truth behind one of the most basic facts of life