Every year, May 24- 30th marks the Period Poverty Awareness Week, with May 28th celebrated as Menstrual Hygiene Day. Like every other internal organ, the female reproductive system also needs to be taken care of. Hence, there is a need for awareness.
Menstruation is a part and parcel of female life. The female sex undergoes the cycles of menstruation approximately from the age of 11, known as menarche. For most of their life, they are bound to experience the cycles every month, until they attain menopause. Menstruation is a biological process. When the pregnancy does not occur, it leads to the shedding of the lining, in the form of vaginal bleeding.
What is period poverty?
Menstruation even though a natural process costs a lot. Due to financial constraints most menstruators all around the world face what is called period poverty. In simple words, period poverty refers to the inability to buy menstrual hygiene products, mainly due to a lack of economic means. About 1.9 billion people, accounting for half the world’s population menstruates, yet 500 million of them lack adequate menstrual hygiene products.
Menstrual products, even though taken for granted, are very expensive. A packet of 28 StayFree sanitary napkins costs you around 355 INR. On average 10-12 pads are used during one cycle, costing around 2000 INR every year. Now maybe some find this affordable but think about those who earn daily. Let’s not forget this is the calculation for one menstruator. If a household has more than one menstruating person, the cost increases accordingly. A study conducted by U by Kortex in 2018 found that one in four menstruators faced difficulties in finding menstrual products due to lack of income. As a result of minimal or no access to period products, one in five menstruators were seen to miss work, school due to feelings of embarrassment and shame.
What has Covid-19 done to Period poverty?
The COVID-19 pandemic has struck the world with numerous problems. With the fall in the economy all over the world, various companies have downsized their employees. Due to lockdown, daily wage workers have been impacted the most all over the world due to which there is extreme poverty, and hence are more likely to face period poverty.
With no source of earning, people are barely able to sustain two meals per day. In such a scenario, the decline in access to social services, educational institutes, and other resources for free menstrual products has increased the rate of period poverty. A survey found that one in four menstruators mentioned that management of periods during the pandemic was difficult.
In addition to this, the pandemic has also led to a decrease in the supply of these products in certain areas of the world, mostly due to rising prices and lessening incomes. A survey conducted by Plan International in 30 countries found that disruption in the supply of menstrual products was causing difficulties in access to them. 68% of the participants also mentioned that a hike in the price of these products is worsening period poverty, not allowing menstruators to bleed with dignity.
Period poverty and its impact.
We all know that the beginning of the menstrual cycle itself has its impact on the individual. With heavy cramps, nausea, weakness, bloating, acne, etc, periods have a grave impact on mental health too. Periods are directly linked with self-perception. Weeks before the start of the period, menstruators experience what is called Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). They experience fluctuating moods and affect. They tend to have depressed and anxious moods. A few start questioning their body image, feeling hopeless and irritable. Now it is important to remember that all of this happens even when you are sitting comfortably in your room, with a heating pad on, binge-watching series, and eating a tub of ice cream to soothe your pain, with access to efficient and quality period products such as sanitary napkins, tampons or menstrual cups. But what happens to those who experience period poverty?
Not only do they not have the resources to get access to these products that can soothe the pain but also lack basic menstrual hygiene. Research shows that in lieu of sanitary pads about 88% of menstruators end up using cloth, husk, toilet paper to absorb the blood. It is seen that using a cloth or cheap alternative not only causes rashes or vaginal infections, but also certain urinary infections. It can also cause cervical cancer. Around 70,000 women fall victim to this cancer in India due to poor menstrual hygiene.
But it does not stop here. In addition to physical health issues, period poverty also affects mental health. Very little is known about period poverty, and there is even less information regarding its effect on mental health.
Period poverty is seen to deplete a person’s mental health and well-being. Research conducted on college-aged women in the United States stated that women who experience monthly past year period poverty were more likely to report moderate /severe depression. Another study by Independent with 500 female participants who faced periods of poverty and 500 who did not show that 39% of those facing period poverty manifested signs of depression and anxiety. About two-thirds of the participants also mentioned a lack of confidence and self-esteem. It was also observed that those who were unable to manage their periods safely and with less dignity had a direct relation with poor quality of life.
Besides physical and mental health, period poverty also has an impact on one’s social life. Menstruators who experienced period poverty, usually dropped out from school or work, as a result of embarrassment and shame. Every month the studies suffer whereas the male counterparts are still visiting the school. Hence, the divide. Young adult menstruators are terminated from their jobs, as there are no menstrual leaves available. One of the largest studies of its kind conducted in Canada reported that 18 percent of respondents have missed school, 22 percent have missed work and 29 percent have missed community events because of this issue.
Young girls suffer a great loss of their future. Research found that 44% of women experiencing period poverty also struggled to find employment. Most of them settle on the very first job, siding their passion away. Without education and employment, they can’t fight poverty, leaving them stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty and unable to gain income due to period poverty.
On a personal note, I remember my mother narrating to me about the times she used to skip school due to a lack of sanitary napkins. For the longest time in her life, she used a cloth, due to the lack and cost of sanitary napkins during her times.
Period poverty is a serious global health crisis, yet to be brought to light. The taboo and stigma attached to periods is not only increasing period poverty but also obstructing awareness. Shame also surrounds the experience of a trans person menstruating. The heightened degree of stigma and embarrassment has averted dialogues regarding availability and access to period products, the high prices of sanitary napkins and tampons. With no room to raise our voice, no awareness is created about the same.
How can we combat this issue?
To start with, it is important to eradicate the stigma attached to it. Until people are unaware of it, nothing can be done. A strong movement should be constructed including all the young girls with physical and mental disabilities, trans people, menstruators living on the streets, child laborers, and those living in the juvenile centers.
Schools should be used as a medium to impart knowledge not only to females but also to males who usually show a strong curtailment to learn about these issues. Both young girls and boys should be a part of the discussion, marking the first step to bridge the gap beyond the social stigma. Menstrual hygiene workshops and sex education should be compulsory in both government and private educational institutes.
With the rise of the pandemic, India classified menstrual products as essential commodities, which allowed a continuous supply of these products. However, this alone will not help us fight period poverty. Both the government and civil societies should come together and carry the responsibility of the availability of period products to the homeless. There must be a compulsory availability of proper functioning vending machines at schools, colleges, and public toilets all over the country to create a constant availability of the products to every sector of society.
Online platforms should be used at their utmost to create a space for menstruators to share their difficulties. With the availability of the internet and social media in every nook and corner of the world these days, it can be used as a strong tool to awaken the world. It is important to depoliticize the talk of menstruation. Online NGOs and welfare organizations should conduct workshops and movements surrounding the understanding of menstruation. These programs can also be used to address the gender stereotypes embedded in our unconscious minds. Why do we have to whisper about it, when we can shout at the top of our lungs and let the world know about the problem?
We should move towards a world with menstrual equity and progressive social change, deconstructing the taboo and stigmatization attached to menstruation.
Menstrual hygiene just like food water and shelter is a basic need and nothing should stop these menstruators from claiming their needs. A young girl shouldn’t lose the opportunity to educate herself just because she is menstruating. A teenager shouldn’t be restricted to go out with friends because they are menstruating. No human should be denied a job of passion because they are menstruating. People with a female reproductive system in their reproductive ages, irrespective of race, height weight, and socio-economic status menstruate. How and why is something so natural becoming a hindrance?
PS: I have avoided using the word women apart from the studies mentioned because ‘not all menstruators are women, and not all women menstruate’.