The phrase “period poverty” encapsulates the lack of access to feminine period products and the issues that are associated with it. Many issues arise in terms of the accessibility of menstrual supplies. Firstly, they can be a financial burden, as period products can be expensive. Secondly, some developing countries may not even sell disposable supplies such as pads and tampons, leaving women to develop homemade supplies. These homemade supplies can be made from paper, cotton, cloth rags, or leaves, which threatens the menstruator’s health and can cause infections. Grace Clarke, an assistant researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, attended school in Monrovia, Liberia, and stated of her experience, “I personally had instances when the only means to manage my menstrual cycle was to use old clothes or tissue because my family couldn’t afford to purchase menstrual products.”
However, in developing countries, the issues don’t stop there. Menstrual cycles can prevent people from attending school for numerous reasons. For one, homemade supplies require frequent changing. Secondly, many schools lack bathrooms with working water/toilets and adequate privacy, making managing menstruation difficult for female students. As a result, attending school becomes a challenge. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization reported in 2014 that one out of every ten menstruating youth does not attend school during their cycle as a result of inadequate access to period products.
The problem is dire in the United States, too. In 2021, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University conducted a nationwide survey and found that 10% of college students are unable to afford menstrual supplies, resulting in increased skipped classes and amounts of self-reported depression. According to the Journal of Global Health Reports, 16.9 million people who menstruate in the US live in poverty, and two-thirds of the 16.9 million low-income women in the US couldn’t afford menstrual products over the past year. Further, half of this demographic had to choose between menstrual products and food. The tax on period products also rose from a relatively lower 4.7% to a staggering 10% in 2019, increasing the financial burden of menstrual products. Since period poverty affects mainly low income communities/developing countries, a disproportionate amount of those affected by period poverty are racial minorities. Therefore, period poverty can also be a racial issue.
During the peak of the COVID pandemic when public facilities were shut down, many people lost their only access to period products, which were through educational facilities and community centers. In addition, losses of income due to job loss during the pandemic may have made purchasing menstrual products increasingly difficult for individuals.
Equal rights for women are a relatively new concept in application, and arguably have not been accomplished fully in any region of the world. In developed countries, women may face issues such as the wage gap and employment discrimination, however in developing countries, women may be forced into labor or housework rather than receiving an education. While the world is working to overcome these disparities, period poverty continues to be a setback for women’s rights. Women have been fighting for centuries to have access to education and the ability to join the workforce, and for these rights to continue to be unequally forsaken due to menstruation is inherently sexist.
By remaining silent about these struggles, society remains complicit to a male-dominated culture. This phenomenon is widely unacknowledged, likely because there is still a lot of hesitancy around discussing menstruation. What individuals can do to continue to work toward a more just world is raise awareness about period poverty, and take action when possible, such as donating to period product drives at a local community center or school. Any efforts can lessen the impacts of period poverty!