Menstruation is a basic human fact. It is part of a woman’s monthly routine to stock up on pads, tampons, menstrual cups etc. Something that is a necessity to females across the globe must be accessible to all, right? Wrong. Period poverty is when menstrual products become inaccessible to women who don’t have the monetary capability to purchase them from stores.
A simple pad box of 14 pieces may cost up to $6.00 and the infamous pink panadol costs $8.30 for a box of 20 tablets. For more breakdown on the costs of periods, Dollars and Sense gives a specific rundown (brands included). Of course, each woman spends differently, but the basic, necessary, ‘equipment’ to battle your period that is so easily accessible to you might be a luxury to many. The lack of proper period products may lead to improper care during the monthly cycles, causing women to develop various health issues including bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections, and vaginal skin irritation.
Not talking about your period
Speaking about your period alone may be difficult for women in social situations. We have to explain why we opt for the hot drinks instead of the icy cold refreshments in sunny Singapore, or explain why we have to visit the washroom 5 minutes after recess (under the gaze of many watchful classmates in Secondary School and JC), or the unspoken rule among girls to put a pad in a small pouch and pass it on instead of flashing someone with a naked pad. Women even begin to speak in euphemisms when referring to our periods. ‘The best friend’, ‘that time of the month’, ‘waterfall’ are just some of the very creative nicknames I’ve heard over the years.
Period cramps “can’t be that bad”, said by the person who has never experienced menstruation, is the common phrase thrown at women when they express their discomfort to others. This has downplayed what some women experience as extremely uncomfortable and painful cramps, forcing themselves to go to school or work in order not to spark rumours going around that she’s weak, or faking the extremity of the pain.
Talking about your period
References to periods don’t stop once the cycle stops. Female behaviour is almost always linked to periods. “Are you PMSing?”, “You’re having mood swings, you must be on your period”. Society attributes every ‘irrational’ action a woman displays to their period. These assumptions about the behaviour of women put so much pressure on females to watch their emotions in public. This is even more so for young girls who are experiencing the first few months/years of their periods, who are still getting used to the social pressures around them.
Check out this article for more information on period taboos.
Period woes
Accompanied by these attitudes to periods that embarrass a woman’s natural physiological process, period poverty is a significant problem. Women, already unable to comfortably express their period woes and struggles, find yet another barricade – not having access to period products. 1 in 10 girls globally cannot afford to purchase period products. The absence of period products affects their school and work life, such as losing out on information taught during classes and missing career opportunities.
Although there are no concrete statistics of period poverty in Singapore, locals have taken the initiative to organise pad donation drives or online projects to spread awareness of period poverty. Go With the Flow (GWTF) is one such local organisation focused on eradicating period poverty, aiming to address the lack of menstrual healthcare for low income families in Singapore. To date, GWTF has collected 1605 pads, distributing 802 pad care packages to low-income ladies and beneficiaries across the island.
Her Campus at Nanyang Tech is proud to collaborate with Go With the Flow for International Women’s Day 2022 to advocate awareness of period poverty. Catch Go With the Flow’s pad donation box at NTU’s School of Humanities undergraduate office from 7 to 13 March 2022!