Nika Tarkian Gender Rights, Human Rights, Shortages, Youth

How to Alleviate Period Poverty and Stigma

Dear Activist,

500 million women and young girls worldwide experience some degree of period poverty and stigma, according to UN Women. Period poverty is the inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, which includes access to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management. Young girls and women across the world are forced into believing that they are a disgrace and untouchable. All of this over something they cannot control.

A 2020 survey through Plan International reached health professionals in more than 30 countries. Those professionals work in menstrual hygiene management, water and sanitation, and hygiene and sexual reproductive health rights. The survey reports that women and girls are facing limited access to products, facilities to change, and clean period products. In addition, there is an increase in the price of period products, a lack of education regarding menstrual hygiene, and increased stigma.

The Stigma Surrounding Periods

Period poverty and stigma also impacts a girl’s education. According to Action Aid, girls “often miss one or more days of school during their periods.” In Sub-Saharan Africa, girls are recorded to have missed 20% of their school year or dropped out entirely. In some countries, two out of three girls avoid school because they have not been educated about their period. If girls do not attend school, they fall susceptible to child marriage, early pregnancy, domestic violence, and malnourishment.

Periods are all too often associated with stigma and shame. Young girls encounter social and cultural stigma, a lack of access to period products, and a poor menstruation education. Societal customs allow young girls and women to be depicted as untouchable or a disgrace. This only adds to the other obstacles these women and girls face during their cycles.

Chief executive of Plan International, Rose Caldwell, insists that “period stigma is both a cause and consequence of gender inequality.” They are outsiders in society and forced to accept themselves as a dishonor to their families. In fact, some communities restrict women and young girls from socializing or eating certain foods. Discriminatory practices should not go unnoticed, and we must alleviate the strong sense of cultural shame in women.

Period Poverty and Stigma Exists Everywhere

In the United States, a lack of access and income causes women to struggle in obtaining adequate menstrual products. Students and houseless women and girls continue to be the most prominent groups facing period poverty. As of now, 35 states tax period products as non-essential items; however, there is not a tax on men’s products and medications.

In Nepal, menstruating women and young girls are deemed impure by their community. As a result, they are forced into huts during their cycles. Myths in Nepalese culture factor into discrimination towards women on their periods. Those myths and misconceptions cause families to continue using illegal menstrual huts. The Borgen Project states that “roughly 70 percent of Nepalese women living in agricultural communities face exile while on their periods.”

There is a strong and evident stigma surrounding menstruation in Ethiopia. Schools fail to address women’s health in their curriculum, which leads to shame among young girls who are experiencing menstruation for the first time. This also makes it difficult for young girls to obtain the necessary products to remain hygienic. According to the Borgen Project, “75% of Ethiopian women and girls do not have access to proper menstrual products,” causing them to use dry grass or newspaper as products. Additionally, 17% of girls miss school “due to the inability to properly manage their periods, although this number is closer to 50% in some impoverished rural areas.”

Activate Change

Period poverty goes against women and young girls’ basic human rights. Their lives should not be in the hands of men who cannot understand what they endure every month. At an early age, girls learn to be submissive to their male counterparts, which can no longer be the case. Women and young girls are capable of establishing independence; however, they must have the same opportunities to do so. You are lucky enough to be in the position of helping others rather than being the one in need of help. It all starts with you.

  • Write to your elected officials and advocate to improve access to hygiene products and facilities.
  • Encourage education about menstruation, which can help alleviate the stigma surrounding women’s cycles.
  • Educate young boys! By teaching young boys about menstrual hygiene, they will grow up promoting women’s health.
  • Use your social media platform to enact change. Now, more than ever, social media plays a significant role in spreading awareness and reaching broad audiences.
  • Watch Period. End of Sentence., a short film that shows the transition in breaking the stigma around menstruation. The film is centered around Indian women as they start making sanitary pads. You can watch the documentary on Netflix or here.
  • Donate to PERIOD and the Pad Project, two amazing organizations that work towards ending period poverty and stigma.
  • Visit the Pad Project’s “Take Action” page to learn about the different ways you can make change.

These women and young girls’ futures are in your hands. You are the driving force of change, and it is your responsibility to speak on behalf of those who are silenced. Period poverty and stigma open the door for other issues women must face. Without your help, they fall susceptible to child marriage, gender-based violence, and malnutrition; period poverty is at the root of these problems. We are working towards change together, but we need to continue to demand justice. We are capable of changing and bettering the world, and we cannot miss out on that opportunity.

Cordially,

Nika Tarkian