What is Period Poverty?
Having a monthly period is something every female goes through from puberty to menopause. It is part of life and part of the reproductive cycle. However, the cost of a monthly period is rarely discussed. When money is tight, people make cuts where they can. Very often it is groceries and personal hygiene products that take the hit. Unfortunately, this has led to many women feeling forced to cut back on sanitary products.
Sanitary products are not free, and the cost of living crisis has left many women unable to afford them, including parents of pubescent and teenage girls. This has led to calls to end period poverty because it is a neglected public health issue that specifically targets women.
The Cost of Sanitary Products
The cost of sanitary products, especially named brands, has risen significantly. Advertisements may show glamorous sportswomen or models using certain products, but this does nothing to make them affordable. The average cost of supermarket tampons and sanitary pads are cheaper than big brands but the prices of both products are increasing more than ever before. If women buy supermarket own brands, they are either regularly out of stock or are of an inferior quality and so they need to purchase more of them. It is clear that more must be done to fight period poverty.
Period Poverty Campaign
Many people ask what the government is doing to lessen the financial pressure on women. Scotland, quickly followed by New Zealand, became the first country to start offering free period products to those who need them. Lidl in Ireland has also launched an initiative in conjunction with Simon Communities of Ireland and the Positive Period Ireland project. They are offering free period products in store to girls and women affected by period poverty.
As usual, it is charities that take the lead here. Homeless and women’s charities have been handing out period products to homeless women and sex workers in the UK and Ireland for years. It is important to remember that if women are unable to afford basic sanitary items, they will also be struggling to afford food and other basic items. If anyone is in a position to donate to food banks, don’t forget to include sanitary products too. It is difficult for many women to admit to being in period poverty or hygiene poverty, so it is vital that we do what we can to provide help and support wherever possible.
The next blog in this series will examine ‘energy poverty’ and the issues caused by the rising cost of energy.