This article is focused on these Sustainable Development Goals:
Disclaimer:
I’m aware not all women menstruate, some men may menstruate, and gender-queer people may menstruate. This article is focusing on the majority who menstruate- women. I do not wish to offend anyone by only focusing on women who menstruate, this is just the population that’s mainly impacted by period poverty. Thank you.
Let’s talk about periods, more specifically period poverty. Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual hygiene education, sanitary products, and facilities needed to deal with periods such as toilets, hand washing facilities, and waste management. This affects girls all over the world, from Nigeria to the US to Nepal, and needs to be addressed more often. Period poverty is restricting women from opportunities in a way men are not restricted, thus stunting the fight for gender equality. Additionally, period poverty causes poor menstrual hygiene and therefore hugely affects the health and well being of women. In order to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals promoting Gender Equality and Good Health and Well Being, we must address period poverty.
Why Should You Care?
Globally, approximately 2.3 billion people don’t have access to basic water and sanitation facilities. Meaning, for many girls around the world, staying hygienic and managing their periods is essentially impossible. Even those who do have access to these facilities, if a low-income family has to choose between food for the week or a box of sanitary pads, they’re going to choose food. In the UK, 1 in 10 women can’t afford to buy menstrual products. This means girls are left to find unsanitary alternatives to manage their period, such as putting a dirty cloth or towel in their underwear. The consequences of this are extremely dangerous to girls’ overall health, often leading to reproductive issues, urinary tract infections, and other physical complications that can be fatal if not dealt with. The Sustainable Development Goals state everyone should have access to facilities and resources to maintain good health and well being. Access to sanitary products and general sanitation facilities, so girls can manage their periods safely, is crucial to maintaining good health.
You might not be used to talking about periods very openly with those around you. If you’re a woman, you’ve probably snuck a tampon or pad into your jacket before going to the toilet during class. Many of us quieten our voices when we discuss periods with our friends or families. There’s a clear stigma around periods, and it’s much more harmful than you may think. The lack of education and conversation about periods results in women feeling embarrassed and ashamed of their own menstruation cycle. In Sri Lanka, two-thirds of girls have said they received no information on their periods before getting it, leaving them scared and confused when they started. In Kenya, girls will miss an average of 4 days of school every month due to their periods, meaning girls are in school 20% less than boys. And many cultural practices add to this ostracisation of women and their periods. In Venezuela, many women are made to sleep in huts during their periods. In rural parts of Ghana, women who’re menstruating are forbidden to enter a house with a man. Women are made to feel as though their period is dirty and something to hide, instead of the natural biological function that it is. The stigma around periods directly impacts a woman’s ability to succeed, which is something men do not have to deal with. If women are being held back by their periods from so many opportunities, how will we ever reach gender equality?
How Do We Fix This Problem?
In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the world to make sanitary products free for all students and low-income families. Ideally, the whole world should follow suit. This is much easier said than done, however, so an easier step would be to remove the tax on sanitary products. Sanitary products are considered a luxury, not a necessity, and are therefore taxed as a luxury good. India, Australia, Kenya, Canada, Ireland, and some US states have already got rid of this sanitary product tax. Doing this makes a huge difference to the affordability of sanitary products, every other country should be encouraged to do the same. Making sanitary products more affordable would decrease the number of women using unhygienic methods of managing their period, thus increasing the overall health of women around the globe.
That being said, having the government rid your country of sanitary tax isn't a simple task. But something we can all do right now is work to reduce the stigma around periods and menstruation. We have to start talking more openly about menstruation, discussing it with our friends and families, not hiding our sanitary products. If all of us work to be more open about periods, girls won’t feel so ostracised when it comes to their menstruation. Girls will feel more comfortable going to school and other public places when they’re on their periods, resulting in them having better access to opportunities in life. Periods should not be something holding women back.
Approximately 26% of the world’s population is made up of women who menstruate. 26% of the world may face the consequences of period poverty. We must change this. Humans have the right to good health and well being, periods should not get in the way of that. Men and women should be equal and have equal opportunities, periods should not get in the way of that. By reducing the price of sanitary products, increasing access to information about menstruation, and erasing the stigma on periods, we can work towards ending period poverty. So speak up and do what you can to help, because change starts with you.
How to Get Involved and Learn More:
Support Action Aid, a UK-based NGO focused on helping women and girls in poverty. They have several projects fighting against period poverty in developing countries.
Support Days for Girls, an international NGO working to provide girls around the world with access to menstrual education by 2022.
Support Period., a US-based NGO celebrating periods and providing education and resources for those in need around the US.
Support Cora, the organic tampon company who donate monthly to provide sustainable period management to those in need in India.
(each organisation has opportunities to donate, volunteer, and resources to educate yourself- check them out!)
Look for homeless shelters, orphanages, refugee camps, and other places near you where people may be in need of menstrual products. Holding a fundraiser to buy resources for these places could change so many lives.
Talk about periods!
Works Cited
“Period Poverty.” ActionAid UK, www.actionaid.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/womens-economic-empowerment/period-poverty.
Banerji, Annie. “Third of Girls in South Asia Miss School during Periods - Study.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 22 May 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-india-women-health/third-of-girls-in-south-asia-miss-school-during-periods-study-idUSKCN1IN00F.
“The Global Implications of Period Poverty and What You Can Do to Help.” Blood + Milk, 30 May 2019, www.bloodandmilk.com/the-global-implications-of-period-poverty-and-what-you-can-do-to-help/.
“Period Poverty: Everything You Need to Know.” Global Citizen, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/period-poverty-everything-you-need-to-know/.
“What Is Period Poverty?” Bodyform, 20 Sept. 2018, www.bodyform.co.uk/our-world/period-poverty/.
Litman, Jill. “Menstruation Stigma Must Stop. Period.” The Public Health Advocate, 5 June 2018, pha.berkeley.edu/2018/06/05/menstruation-stigma-must-stop-period/.
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