What is Period poverty
1 in 4 Americans miss school or work because of their period.
Period poverty is the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, hand washing facilities and/or waste management which in turn prevents 1 in 4 Americans from attending school or work because of their period.
Because of Period Stigma we don't talk about and therefore don't often think about the effects on the homeless, low income, incarcerated, trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming people.
People with special needs and disabilities disproportionately do not have access to the facilities and resources they need for proper menstrual hygiene.
People who are living in conflict-affected areas or in the aftermath of natural disasters which also makes it more difficult for people to manage their periods.
Menstrual health is not just a women’s issue.
Globally, 2.3 million people live without basic sanitation services and in developing countries only 27% of people have adequate hand washing facilities at home. Not being able to use these facilities makes it harder for adults and young people to manage their periods safely and with dignity.
People who menstruate have been ostracized from basic activities including eating certain foods or socializing all over the world. The cultural shame attached to menstruation and a shortage of resources only furthers the cycle of stigma, misinformation and harm against people who menstruate.
Young boys benefit from menstrual hygiene education as well. Educating youth on menstruation at an early age at home and school promotes healthy habits and breaks stigmas around the natural process.
Achieving menstrual equity means access to sanitary products, proper toilets, hand washing facilities, sanitation and hygiene education and waste management for people around the world.
Currently
Final Point:
Period poverty is the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, hand washing facilities and/or waste management which in turn prevents 1 in 4 Americans from attending school or work because of their period.
Because of Period Stigma we don't talk about and therefore don't often think about the effects on the homeless, low income, incarcerated, trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming people.
People with special needs and disabilities disproportionately do not have access to the facilities and resources they need for proper menstrual hygiene.
People who are living in conflict-affected areas or in the aftermath of natural disasters which also makes it more difficult for people to manage their periods.
Menstrual health is not just a women’s issue.
Globally, 2.3 million people live without basic sanitation services and in developing countries only 27% of people have adequate hand washing facilities at home. Not being able to use these facilities makes it harder for adults and young people to manage their periods safely and with dignity.
People who menstruate have been ostracized from basic activities including eating certain foods or socializing all over the world. The cultural shame attached to menstruation and a shortage of resources only furthers the cycle of stigma, misinformation and harm against people who menstruate.
Young boys benefit from menstrual hygiene education as well. Educating youth on menstruation at an early age at home and school promotes healthy habits and breaks stigmas around the natural process.
Achieving menstrual equity means access to sanitary products, proper toilets, hand washing facilities, sanitation and hygiene education and waste management for people around the world.
Currently
- 30 US States that still have an additional “luxury tax” attached to period products, considering them non-essential items.
- 1 in 4 people who bleed struggle to afford period products due to a lack of income.
- 46% of low-income menstruators have had to choose between a meal and period products.
- Most of the data that has been collected concerning period poverty does not include trans, nonbinary, non-gender conforming or incarcerated people.
- Not all women bleed and to hold that up as the crown of womanhood is deeply disregarding and disrespectful to those women who do not experience a menses cycle.
- Likewise, not everyone who bleeds identifies as a woman and our trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming family deserve better as the possibility of a violent altercation occurring to a transman who start their period in a public men's restroom are very real.
- Close to 20 billion sanitary napkins, tampons and applicators are dumped into North American landfills every year taking 500-800 years to biodegrade.
- The average menstruator uses over 11,000 tampons over their lifetime.
- You can not hope to solve one problem while perpetuating another. We must insure only organic, biodegradable solutions are implemented in any laws we create moving forward.
- In 2015 H.R.1882 - Menstrual Equity For All Act of 2019 "To increase the availability and affordability of menstrual hygiene products for individuals with limited access, and for other purposes." was drafted by Rep. Meng from NY and sent before the house where it was then sent before the subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, 3 times.
- It only has only a 3% chance of passing.
Final Point:
- Access to sanitation, early education and freely available biodegradable pads are KEY in challenging and changing these discriminating practices.
Read more by clicking the links.
Period Poverty by, Global Citizen
Environmental Impact of Menstruation Supplies
Period Poverty by, Global Citizen
Environmental Impact of Menstruation Supplies