"It is a topic that has been silenced for too long and is now finally coming to light: period poverty. When access to menstrual hygiene products becomes a luxury that some women can no longer afford, there is only one thing to do: take to the barricades! Nevertheless, it is a problem for many women and girls who remain silent about it. They have to deal with the negative consequences of this precarious situation, both psychologically and health-wise. Let us finally break this taboo: We are revealing the issue of period poverty."
If the price is usually too high
Menstrual hygiene is a fundamental, basic aspect of a woman's life, but... it is a significant burden on the wallet. We have no idea how much money women have to spend on menstrual hygiene. If you make a quick calculation based on the fact that the first period starts between the ages of 12 and 14 and lasts until menopause (around 45 to 55 years), a woman has her period for about 39 or 40 years. With a normal cycle of 28 days per month, this results in an average of about 500 cycles in a lifetime!
The regular expenses for menstrual hygiene are a burden that weighs heavily. The costs of menstruation vary for each woman. They depend on the hygiene products used and their prices (menstrual cup, period underwear, tampons, sanitary pads, panty liners, etc.). In general, washable menstrual hygiene products, although quite expensive to purchase, are best suited in the long run to minimize these costs. Since they are washable, they can be used for many years without losing comfort or effectiveness. However, in addition to the costs of the hygiene products themselves, other factors also play a role in calculating the costs of menstruation: the amount of blood flow, pregnancies, the costs for the gynecologist, and possible pain relievers. In a word, the facts are clear: menstruating is expensive!
In 2017, the BBC estimated the cost of menstrual hygiene products in the UK at £1,550 or €1,730 over a woman's lifetime. In 2015, the Huffington Post presented a study on this topic: An English woman spends an average of £18,000 on her menstruation over her lifetime. In France, a woman spends around €8,000 to €10,000 on conventional menstrual protection over her lifetime. These are enormous expenses that many women cannot afford.
Period Poverty: yet another sad truth for millions of women
The fact is that not all women have the same financial means. Many cannot afford comfortable menstrual hygiene products. Worldwide, more than 500 million women and girls live in involuntary precarity regarding their period protection. The most affected are homeless women and students.
Period poverty has many faces: when a menstruating woman has no hygiene products, when she cannot change her hygiene items regularly, or when she has to resort to improvised and unsuitable solutions. A study from 2019 estimated that more than one in three women worldwide lives in period poverty. An alarming estimate, especially in the 21st century! These expenses, as significant as they may be, are often pushed to the background when one is facing financial difficulties. For many people, women's hygiene does not fall into the category of basic needs, unlike other hygiene products. The choice between the ability to eat and having enough disposable pads is quickly made. Washable hygiene products are an excellent solution that should be considered.
Period Poverty: what are the risks and consequences?
"Let's take a look behind the scenes. Period poverty poses enormous risks and has serious consequences for women's health and psychology. Due to the high costs of menstrual hygiene products, some women are forced to forgo these expenses. They have to make do with makeshift solutions that do not protect against leaks, are unhygienic, and leave residues full of toxic substances that destroy the vaginal flora and disrupt the menstrual flow. Such solutions that women in period poverty resort to include, for example, newspaper, toilet paper, sponges, and even socks!"
In many countries, not just in developing countries, many girls do not go to school during their period because they do not have hygiene products, which leads to a total of 145 days absent from school. Similarly, some women cannot go to work or job interviews because they cannot afford menstrual protection. An irregular change of hygiene products causes all kinds of itching, infections, irritation of the vaginal mucosa, allergies, incontinence, or even toxic shock. Psychologically, it is no better: the perceived shame and the secret discomfort lead to a loss of self-confidence - a problem that should alarm us!
End of period poverty
Of course, we should not sit back and wait for things to happen. In France, associations, NGOs, feminists, and even private individuals fighting for the instinctive free menstrual flow are doing everything they can to make a change, with the first step being to make this inequality public. Organizations like "Règles élémentaires", "Restos du cour", the collective "Ça va saigner", or "Les Glorieuses" are committed to this issue and raise awareness about period poverty through fundraising, peaceful demonstrations, and petitions. Social networks are flooded with powerful hashtags like #StopPrécaritéMenstruelle or #RespectezNosRègles to encourage everyone in society to react, especially the state. YouTubers and influencers actively support the campaign to finally put an end to period poverty.
In 2016, the tampon tax was lowered in France (from 20% to 5.5%), and recently, initiatives have been taken by the student health insurance fund to distribute free organic cotton feminine hygiene products without chemical substances at some universities. A free distribution of feminine hygiene products (tampon and pad sets, menstrual cups, and eco-friendly washable pads) has been introduced at the University of Rennes 2, at the Sorbonne, and at the universities of Lille and Villeneuve. It is also planned to set up free feminine hygiene vending machines in the restrooms.
Many people are aware of this injustice today and are committed to making a change. These are commendable gestures, but in reality, they are still insufficient. Therefore, washable menstrual hygiene products like period underwear, which can be reused for several years, are still by far the best way to save money during menstruation while still being well protected.
