Period poverty can be defined as the lack of menstrual products and resources or inability to access such items. While often overlooked, this problem has huge impacts on communities around the world. In fact, an estimated 500 million women globally lack access to menstrual products or adequate hygiene facilities. Period poverty is a neglected human rights and public health issue that is underrepresented in the media. Everyone deserves safe and hygienic sanitary products, and more education around menstruation regardless of gender is necessary to end its stigma and create positive change for those who currently lack sanitary resources and dignity.
While menstruation is a monthly norm for roughly 1.8 billion people, it is still incredibly stigmatized in the media and in everyday life. In the media, periods are rarely mentioned and are seen with very negative connotations. They are often portrayed as unsanitary, gross, and being the cause for irritable female behavior. This stereotype has created a pattern of hiding menstruation and viewing it as a cause of embarrassment. Nearly 60 percent of teens feel personally affected by negative associations with menstruation. This can present itself in many ways. Hiding pads and tampons away in school bags, discreetly passing products to a friend, and many more. Countless women are conditioned to treat their cycles as synonymous with shame and isolation. Sometimes, young girls and women aren’t given any education or information on menstruation prior to their first experience, hiding the topic away until absolutely necessary to learn about. According to a survey conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 2022, “only 32 percent and 66 percent of girls were aware of menstruation before their first period in Bangladesh and Egypt, respectively. In Egypt, 74 percent of girls who were unaware felt shocked, afraid or cried during the first occurrence. Similarly, in Bangladesh, 69 percent felt scared.” In some parts of the world, individuals who are on their period are viewed as untouchable or dirty, creating shame at an early age. This problem stems from long held cultural and societal norms that view periods as disgusting or abnormal, holding women to a problematic standard. The intense shame that has been associated with periods creates deep cycles of internalized hatred and insecurity that need to be dismantled.
Additionally, period poverty stems from lack of resources and proper sanitation products. Inability to access such products has multiple causes, such as pads and tampons being incredibly costly, as well as various taxation laws that make menstruation products even less affordable. There's also the Pink Tax, which can be described as gendered marketing that makes “female” versions of a product, such as razors, much more expensive than its male counterpart. The tampon tax, which taxes menstruation products as non-essential items, adding another economic burden, is another example. In the U.S., nearly one in four students struggle to afford period products. This poses a huge obstacle for many menstruating individuals, as this shortage can often result in women having to use natural materials or other items in replacement of pads or tampons. Period poverty is a global problem and its effects are felt here in the Bay Area. Countless women living in poverty or underprivileged areas lack proper sanitary dignity and resources. Having access to appropriate menstrual products is essential for proper hygiene and safety. Women should not be denied those items, and their access should be universal.
There are many ways to get involved and fight for representation and adequate access to hygiene products. Various organizations are centered around fighting the stigma associated with periods. These include The Days for Girls project, The Pad Project, The Borgen Project, and many more. On a smaller scale, local homeless shelter locations such as the Dorothy Day House have historically hosted pad and tampon drives to help women living on the streets in Berkeley.
While organizations like these will continue to be a key part of expanding access to period products globally, more support and awareness is needed. As individuals, it can feel difficult to tackle such large systemic problems. However, period poverty is a fundamental issue in society that deserves adequate representation and global education in order to create change. Ending period poverty starts at the root. In order to fix this problem, the societal stigma around menstruation needs to be ended, breaking generational cycles of insecurity that lessen proper access to menstrual products and education.