Face it, we all have a period – whether they’re excruciatingly painful to the point of not being able to stand up without a heating pad or they pass by without you even being that bother.
Almost all women get their periods but not all of us think about the actual care getting your period entails. To many getting their period is one of the many lackluster parts of being a woman yet, too many young girls getting their period can represent the end of their freedom. According to a study by Always Confidence & Puberty Survey as many as 1 in 5 girls either leave school early or miss school entirely due to period poverty.
What is period poverty?
Period poverty is defined by Global Citizen as “lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, handwashing facilities, and, or, waste management.” To many, this issue seems like a far-off concept but it is happening right here in the United States. Women are unable to attend school and work, and they are missing out on opportunities due to their inability to afford menstrual products. This is an issue ingrained in our society as periods have been stigmatized throughout history causing the issue of period poverty to go underreported.
A study done by the International Women’s Health Coalition found that there are about 5,000 slang words used to refer to menstruation in 10 different languages. This reinforces the stigma and prevents women from getting access to supplies because society is so unwilling to have a conversation. The view that period products are a luxury and not a necessity has shaped the way our government is run making periods less justified.
What is being done?
In recent years, period poverty has joined the global conversation around women’s health with organizations such as PERIOD on the fore-front. PERIOD was founded by Nadya Okamoto when she was only 16 and it is now the largest youth-run nonprofit in women’s health. She left Harvard University during her sophomore year when she felt empowered to give this organization her everything.
This drive for menstrual equity came from a personal place for Nadya as she experienced homelessness during her freshmen and sophomore year of high school. During this time, she began to talk to other women who were going through the same discomfort she was going through and knew she had found her purpose. Her drive for period equity has allowed for PERIOD to address “over 700,000 periods through product distribution and registered over 400 campus chapters in all 50 US states and in over 30 countries.” PERIOD’s campus chapters bring their mission to life by starting a conversation and providing resources to young women.
Progress has been gradual but has kept growing with legislation making hygiene products more accessible. The Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act was announced in 2017 requiring federal prisons to provide free tampons and pads to inmates. This bill has not yet passed but has given inspiration to other states to get started. States such as Virginia and New York have passed legislation to give inmates free tampons and pads instead of making them pay for it.
What can we do?
Change starts with a conversation. The first step begins with education in order to be able to better understand the scale of this issue. Through advocacy and awareness, the issue of period poverty can come more to light allowing more women to have access to these products.
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