As we enter a new decade, the world population is steadily creeping towards eight billion. Of these nearly eight billion people, around 50 percent are women or people who menstruate. Despite the fact that this biological process is natural and occurs in billions of people across the globe, there is still a severe stigma around the act of and open discussion of menstruation.
This shame and sense of the taboo surrounding menstruation goes hand-in-hand with another serious issue: period poverty.
Period poverty is an often ignored intersection between issues of health, gender, and income. It is a far-reaching problem that we can only begin combating through open discussions surrounding the inequalities of menstruation and menstrual cycles.
An Overview of Period Poverty
Before we dig into the possible solutions to fight period poverty, it is important to first clarify what exactly the issue is and the various forms it takes.
Period poverty is the global issue impacting women who lack access to hygiene products, sanitary facilities, and education on their bodies, both through issues of financial poverty and a culture of silence surrounding menstruation.
This problem does not exist in a vacuum, but is rather an exacerbation of issues that millions of people already face. Across the globe, women and young girls who live in poverty are forced to choose between period products and other necessities like medicine and food. Feminine hygiene products are often overlooked by assistance programs such as homeless shelters and food stamps, meaning that even women who are fortunate enough to partake in such systems are left without access to menstrual products.
It is not uncommon for girls experiencing period poverty to be forced to miss school, work, or either activities, either due to a lack of period products or a stigma surrounding menstruation in their communities. Not only does period poverty impact their mental and physical health, it can also negatively impact their futures by forcing them to miss out on education and job prospects.
These examples are just some of the many issues that period poverty encompasses. If you are interested in learning more before reading on for potential solutions, consider this article with Novel Hand as a way to deepen your understanding.
Now, we will look at some solutions to aid in the fight against period poverty around the globe.
Government Regulation and Recognition
When it comes to exploring solutions, we might as well start at the very top. Government intervention and assistance would be an excellent way to bring attention to the issues, as well as pass wide sweeping legislation that could positively impact millions of people.
An excellent example of this is New Zealand, who announced in February that all students at primary and secondary schools would have access to free feminine hygiene products. This initiative was specifically launched to tackle period poverty and prevent students from missing school due to a lack of supplies, and had the full support of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Similarly, in November of 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products completely free for everyone. This legislation was characterized by an open discussion of menstruation and sanitation and why period products were vital for health and wellness.
While the rollout of such an action would certainly look different in the United States, which has a much larger population, the successful implementation of such programs in other countries can serve as a guide. Crucially, the programs in New Zealand and Scotland both began with a “trial basis” in which the program was given on a smaller scale and population to test for success before being implemented nationwide. This is certainly a possibility for the United States, where states differ greatly in population size and characteristics.
If federal regulation seems too big of a step, states must begin to tackle period poverty on their own to serve as examples for the rest of the country. In 2018, California became the first state to give public school students access to free menstrual products. Illinois, New Hampshire, and New York have followed suit, and other states have introduced potential legislation to join the cause.
This is great news for the students of these states, but it leaves much to be desired. Adult women in the same state can still lack access to the same products, and the majority of the rest of the United States have not enacted such legislation at all. Federal regulation on the issue would grant millions of students across the nation access to period products, and would be the one of the first steps in tackling period poverty from the federal government.
Access to period products in schools is not the only way that federal and state governments can work to end period poverty. Another essential action is to eliminate the tampon tax which contributes to the expense of menstrual products.
The tampon tax is the subjection of period products to taxation, even when other medical items are exempt. This not only sends the message that period products are not medically necessary items – the taxes add up and keep women from accessing products.
A 2019 Reuters survey found that 1 in 5 women struggled to afford period products every month. This does not even consider the cost of pain medication or devices such as heating pads meant to reduce the pain and cramps felt during the menstrual cycle. The cost of period products over one woman’s lifetime – and thus the taxation on these products – adds up quickly.
Similarly to how select states have free period products in school, there are some states (such as New York, Montana, and several others) that have ended the tampon tax. However, 33 states still have it in place. The solution here would be implementing federal regulation to abolish the tampon tax nationwide, using the 17 states who have successfully done so as a template.
Federal and state regulations are the farthest reaching solutions, but also the hardest to manifest. While campaigning and raising awareness are vital to this fight, there are several more feasible solutions to explore now to help people suffering from period poverty.
Organizations Leading the Movement
While some laws passed on the national and international scale are relatively recent, the fight to end period poverty has been going on for quite some time. There are several organizations dedicated to tackling menstruation inequality that stand out as leaders of the movement.
Similarly to how period poverty encompasses many issues, these organizations tackle period poverty through various methods. One such example is PERIOD, a nonprofit launched in 2014 by two high school students in Oregon. PERIOD aims to provide menstrual products to people experiencing poverty or homelessness and focuses on distributing products to people in need. The organization has grown to include chapters in 43 states.
Another organization, Tax Free. Period. focuses specifically on ending the tampon tax across the country. These efforts include using attorneys to challenge the tax in court and campaigning for individual states to eliminate the tampon tax before Tax Day. They also focus on the history of the tampon tax and educating the general public on the negative consequences. These organizations focus on separate issues but work in tandem to end period poverty.
COVID-19 has exacerbated the issues of period poverty, with women facing higher levels of unemployment and restricted access to places that typically offer free menstrual products such as schools and campus centers. My community of St. Louis, Missouri, has had a reckoning with menstrual inequality in the midst of the pandemic.
In 2019, the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that in the St. Louis area, nearly two-thirds of low-income women could not afford pads or tampons. This forced them to rely on makeshift products such as rags or paper towels.
The St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies is an organization that assists people going through period poverty. As an initiative of the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, which works to help low-income families with infant care products, the St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies is an example of an organization designed to alleviate the burden of period poverty in a specific area. It’s mission is broken into four key parts:
- To raise awareness of the thousands of individuals living in poverty in our region who miss out on daily life because they lack access to period supplies.
- To support the development and expansion of a regional period supply initiative capable of providing a reliable supply of period products to individuals in need.
- To distribute period supplies to individuals through a network of community partners.
- To advocate for legislative changes to make period supplies more accessible and affordable, regardless of income.
As we can see from their main goals, period poverty is a beast that needs to be fought on multiple fronts. This is the benefit of these many different organizations with varied focuses and approaches. Anyone who is willing and able can find themselves involved in these groups, from volunteering to donations to beginning a chapter in their own community.
Continuing to trickle down from government regulation to organizations, it is also important to identify and fight period poverty in your own community. After all, movements cannot grow without eager participants.
Action From the Community – And You!
When it comes to combating period poverty, sometimes communities make their own solutions. If you are interested in taking steps to give women access to feminine hygiene products, there are several different avenues you could take.
Homeless shelters and food banks are places of relief and assistance for people suffering from poverty, homelessness, or food insecurity. These places require donations from the community in order to stay afloat – both financial donations to purchase products and donations of actual goods that can then be distributed.
Do research into food pantries and homeless shelters in your area, especially ones that are in need of donated goods. When it comes to donations, period products are often overlooked despite being a necessity. Once you know more about the opportunities in your area, you will be able to donate period products to people who desperately need them.
Community involvement goes beyond donations. There has been a recent wave of pantries established on the basis of members of the community taking whatever they need, and donating whatever they can.
This is best exemplified by two students of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. These students launched Period Pop-Ups, a donation-based pantry that is open 24/7 for anyone who needs it. The project was initially funded by a student grant, but has since become a self-sufficient pantry stocked by members of the community.
As demonstrated by these students, all it can take for a community to make strides to eliminate period poverty is the willpower and ability of a single person. Solutions can start small – even when purchasing period products for yourself or for a family member. Brands such as Always are active in campaigning against and researching the effects of period poverty.
Another important cultural norm that must be broken is the culture of shame and silence surrounding menstruation. Despite the fact that it is a natural process (one that has existed as long as humans have) and occurs in half of the population, menstruation is often viewed as disgusting or something to be whispered about as a last resort.
This stigma makes women and young girls feel ashamed or disgusted by their own bodily functions. This leads to a reluctance to discuss issues surrounding menstruation, whether that be a lack of access to products and facilities or a more serious medical ailment that accompanies menstruation, such as endometriosis.
Participating in open conversations about periods with friends and family members is an important first step in ending the stigma. By normalizing such conversations, the issue of period poverty will eventually become more noticed in larger society.
This is similar to how the medical issues that women face during and after childbirth used to be considered solely a “female problem” or something that was not discussed publicly. The movement to remove these barriers and talk openly about the issue, from academic papers to celebrity candids, has led to more knowledge and comfort for women during childbirth. With menstruation, this normalization will hopefully lead to more concrete actions taken by governments in order to fight period poverty.
There is a clear and demonstrated need for access to feminine hygiene products, both as a medical necessity and for mental and physical wellbeing. These are just a few of the complex solutions we can begin to embody. Nevertheless, it is important that we come together and make steps and strides in order to eliminate period poverty as best we can.
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