Period poverty is the worldwide lack of access to, and inability to afford period products, such as pads and tampons. This reproductive health disparity drastically affects women, nonbinary people, and trans men. Period poverty hits those who live below the poverty line, the homeless, those held at border camps, and the incarcerated at exorbitant rates. Tampons and pads are considered to be “luxury goods” rather than essentials in 35 out of 50 states, which leads to a higher tax placed on them (Forbes, 2019). In addition to the tampon tax, pads and tampons aren’t covered by SNAP, medicaid, or WIC. Menstrual products are one of the most requested items at homeless shelters, domestic abuse and women’s shelters, and nonprofits aimed at aiding women and girls. The UN has “declared menstrual hygiene a public health, gender equity, and human rights issue” (Time, 2015).
In 2014, 42 million women and nonbinary individuals were living below, or close to, the poverty line in the United States (Harper’s Bazaar, 2019). “25% [of teenage girls] have missed school” due to their inability to buy period products (Bustle, 2019). One menstruating person goes through 10,000-17,000 tampons and or pads in the course of a lifetime (Harper’s Bazaar, 2017) and that adds up to a sizable expense. Considering that bleeding for 4-7 days once a month is not something we choose to do, being penalized by luxury taxes and inescapable costs is extremely unfair and inequitable. Lack of access to period products can lead to psychological stress, infections, conditions that require medical intervention, toxic shock syndrome, cervical cancer, and in some cases, death. Moreover, this can lead to public health concerns due to the nature of bloodborne pathogens. Homeless women and nonbinary folks in particular, face the lack of access to tampons and pads,sanitary bathrooms, shower facilities, and regular sanitation we take for granted. In plenty of cases, women in prisons have to beg for period products (Harper’s Bazaar, 2017).
The current pandemic is only making matters worse; with unemployment and homelessness rates rising, so is period poverty. The nationwide organization I Support the Girls has reported a “35% increase in period product requests” since the pandemic began earlier this year (Stat News, 2020). The nonprofit No More Secrets has gone from delivering period products from 80 people per week, to 200 people each week.
For more information, check out Periods Gone Public: Taking A Stand For Menstrual Equity by lawyer and VP for Development at Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf. Also, visit http://www.allianceforperiodproducts.org for more information on ways you can help and find nonprofits near you.