When you got your period, you may have been slightly embarrassed. You may have figured out how to use a pad and tampon and then went on your way.
That was that.
For most women around the world, the story reads a little different.
35 states in the US have a tax on feminine hygiene products. Why? They are considered “non essential goods.”
Um…what is more essential than making sure that you don’t bleed straight through your pants?
Period poverty affects a staggering number of American women, from girls who have to miss school because of a lack of access, to women in prison who have to beg male guards for period products. (1) It is not just an issue with developing countries. This affects all women, everywhere.
In fact, the numbers themselves are staggering. One in four American teenaged girls has missed class due to the lack of access to menstrual products. (2)
We are a tribe and it is time that we recognize that this is simply not okay.
Menstrual products are also not covered by food stamps for the more than 25 million women living in poverty in the US. And menstrual products are among the top material cost of being a woman.
This is a government issue and a human issue that is gaining more traction. There are petitions and action by major cities to make these products more affordable for low income individuals. New York City, for example, has made menstrual hygiene products free in homeless shelters, prisons and public schools.
If we supply toilet paper, soap and water, then menstrual products certainly should be included.
They should by no means be considered “non essential.”
Reusable pads (brand new ones) are a great thing to drop off at a homeless shelter, but they are only helpful to a point. The majority of products are designed to merely last a year. They also require privacy, access to clean water, and a place to dry them daily.
Movements are calling for free pads and tampons in restrooms and public spaces around the world. There is legislation calling for the elimination of the tampon tax (or “pink tax”) at the state and municipal levels. This tax basically works as a luxury tax for anyone who menstruates. There is also a proposal for federal legislation like the proposed Menstrual Equity For All act.
Still…what can we do?
We can start by acknowledging that this is real. If we remain hidden in the shadows, maintaining the status quo of menstruation = shame, then we are not helping the many women and girls who cannot afford these products. We need to make talking about our periods rather than keeping them secret. It is all of our jobs to destigmatize the natural process of having a period.
What woman doesn’t remember hiding a pad in her sleeve in high school, beelining to the bathroom before anyone – God forbid – saw?
We can come to rallies. We can contribute to the conversation on social media. We can get involved on National Period Day (October 19). We can write to congress.
In the time it takes to stream one YouTube clip, we can begin to make a difference. Something as common as having a period should not limit any woman or hold her back from the opportunities she has. There should not be a marginalized menstruator. We all have a role in making sure that this is not a problem that keeps growing.