What are period poverty and menstrual equity?
“In order to have a fully equitable and participatory society, we must have laws and policies that ensure menstrual products are safe and affordable for everyone who needs them. The ability to access these items affects a person’s freedom to work, study, stay healthy, and engage in the world with basic dignity. And if anyone’s access is compromised, whether by poverty or stigma or lack of education and resources, it is in our societal interest to ensure those needs are met.”
— Jennifer Weiss-Wolf in Periods Gone Public
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27 states tax period products. States make exceptions for other items they deem necessities, which can range from food and toilet paper to erectile dysfunction medication and tattoos. Is menstrual health not a necessity?
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Period products cannot be purchased through programs such as SNAP (food stamps), health spending accounts, Medicaid, or WIC, further keeping people from accessing the products that they need.
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People without a permanent home struggle with both the financial burden of purchasing period products and the logistical issue of finding safe spaces to manage their periods. We believe that menstrual products should be readily available in homeless shelters, and that all human beings have the right to manage their period with dignity.
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Incarcerated people who menstruate especially struggle with accessing menstrual products, as many correctional facilities don’t provide free period products, or don’t provide enough to last through a full period. Many facilities require that the incarcerated buy their own, making them choose between period products and medication or phone calls to loved ones. No one should have to make that choice.
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Menstruation can also be a barrier to education, as children often miss school because of inadequate access to menstrual products.
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People of color are more than twice as likely to experience poverty than white people, and thus are much more likely to experience period poverty, yet conversations around period poverty are dominated by white people. All races get periods, and all races deserve the supplies they need. In addition, systemic racism has led educational systems in majority BIPOC communities to not have the same resources as those in predominately white communities, causing these communities to not receive the education they need about their bodies.
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While menstruation in often seen as something that only affects women, not everyone who menstruates identifies as female. Transgender men, non-binary people, and many others who don’t identify as female do get periods and should be included in conversations about periods and menstrual equity efforts. Getting a period is a source of gender dysphoria for many individuals that don’t identify as female, and messaging in the sales of period products certainly contributes to that. (Have you ever seen a “Feminine Hygiene” aisle as the supermarket?) On top of this, men’s restrooms rarely have available menstrual products, even to buy, and don’t often have places to easily dispose of these products. Finally, transgender and gender non-conforming people are far more likely to be living in poverty than cisgender people, causing it to be even more difficult for them to purchase menstrual supplies.
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There are few regulations about what can be in menstrual products, meaning that some have harmful chemicals in them which can cause cancer, birth defects, infertility and other health issues. Furthermore, most states don’t require that companies disclose the ingredients in their products on the packaging. If possible, make sure that you know what’s in your period products and know if they’re safe. You can also advocate for more regulations regarding what’s in your products.