Manjot Sahota
The World Bank estimates that over 500 million menstruating people worldwide lack the resources they need to manage their periods. This is a denial of basic human rights for so many across the globe, in both the Global North and South. In a recent survey, Action Aid found that more than 1 in 5 people who menstruate in the UK are now struggling to afford period products – rising 9% from the previous year. Manjot Sahota explores.
The issue of period poverty is defined as the lack of access to menstrual products, education, and sanitation facilities, primarily due to financial restrictions. It impacts individuals and communities in a variety of ways, from having to wear the same menstrual product for extended periods, negative impacts on physical health to suffering from mental stress and missing educational opportunities due to school absences.
Addressing period poverty is more than just providing menstrual goods; it is an inclusive approach to improving the quality of life for 1.8 billion people that menstruate each month across the world. Our governments and educational institutions have the power to enact policies, allocate resources, and implement programmes that can have a significant impact on the lives of those affected by period poverty.
the efforts of student societies and initiatives have been immensely important when it comes to addressing the issue of period poverty
In 2017, it was estimated that more than 137,700 girls in the UK missed school because they couldn’t afford sanitary products. Educational institutions are growing to understand the crucial importance of tackling period poverty, such as The University of Nottingham’s ongoing Project Period, launched in 2020. The main objective is to provide free period products to students and staff across the campuses. As of January 2023, 45,000 pads and tampons have been provided across the university’s UK campuses. All products distributed as part of Project Period are also made using sustainable materials, aiding in efforts to protect our environment.
Another practical step taken by the university to address period poverty is the provision of tampons and pads in campus toilets, ensuring that essential menstrual products are easily accessible to those whenever needed.
Similarly, the efforts of student societies and initiatives have been immensely important when it comes to addressing the issue of period poverty. At UoN, we have the Once-a-Month Society and Empower, an Enactus project. These groups actively contribute to the cause by organising events, fundraising and increasing awareness about everything menstruation-related. To gain further insights into the initiatives aimed at tackling period poverty and on what can be done to help, I spoke to Kate Hayhurst, the president of UoN’s Once-A-Month.
Tell me about the events and activities hosted by your society and how they’ve helped fight period poverty in Nottingham?
KH: We aim to have 2 packing sessions every term. We usually do around 200 bags, and each bag contains 5 pads, 3 tampons, 1 toothbrush, hand gel, toothbrush and a chocolate. We split the bags and give 100 to one charity and 100 to another.
How do you get the products – are they donated or do you, as a society, buy them?
KH: All the products are donated as we have donation boxes around campus, but we also buy the products ourselves. We have around 2 fundraisers every term to raise money for the products – we’ve done pub quizzes and even a tote bag decorating session. However, our bags are in such high demand. It is a shame because we can only give out a certain amount of bags so it does work on a first come first serve basis, and when you have around 10 charities messaging you, it is disheartening to tell them they have already been claimed!
the government should take more initiative to make products free and accessible to everyone, whilst also making regular products and sustainable products cheaper
What do you think can be done to better help people who need assistance?
KH: 1/5 people struggle with affording period products, and this has a huge effect on people in education. I don’t want anyone to be at a disadvantage in society solely because of their menstrual cycle. I think that the government should take more initiative to make products free and accessible to everyone, whilst also making regular products and sustainable products cheaper.
Where do you want to take the society – do you have any plans?
KH: We use Instagram to raise awareness on this issue and make it a more known problem, but I would also like the wider media to take action to show how problematic it is as I don’t think people realise how much it can affect people. For the future, I just hope we can continue donating products. It may take up a lot of our time and realistically, shouldn’t have to be put on our shoulders, but if there is a lack of support from the government, then we should do what we can to help to ensure everyone has equal opportunities, such as not missing classes because of lack of access to products.
Some of these schemes may not fully consider the specific needs of marginalised or vulnerable groups
The UK government has also launched various initiatives to ensure that menstruating individuals have access to affordable, quality period products. Recognising these products as necessities and not luxury goods, the VAT (Value Added Tax) was removed in 2021. In 2019, a scheme to fund access to free period products in schools and colleges across England was announced and has been running since January 2020. The scheme helps pupils in need, providing products to pupils who either cannot afford them, or have forgotten to bring them to school or college, or have come on their period unexpectedly.
Scotland has been at the forefront of eradicating this issue, after passing a law in 2021, free period products have been distributed to those who need them. While government measures such as these are valuable, some people worry that they may not reach all the individuals experiencing period poverty, especially those who do not attend school. Some of these schemes may not fully consider the specific needs of marginalised or vulnerable groups, such as refugees. Many also argue that the effectiveness of reducing costs by removing the tax on menstrual products has been minimised due to inflation pushing prices up.
we can help contribute to creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to discuss menstruation openly
As a whole, UoN initiatives and government schemes function symbiotically. While the university focuses on the local community, the national strategy aims to create systemic changes and address period poverty on a larger scale. However, advocates continue to emphasise the importance of broader policy changes to comprehensively address the economic factors contributing to period poverty. By addressing the stigma surrounding menstruation through public awareness campaigns and promoting education on menstrual health, we can help contribute to creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to discuss menstruation openly, reducing many of the barriers associated with period poverty.
It’s also crucial to ensure that all students are aware of the resources available to them. Linked here are the instructions on how to request period products from UoN’s Project Period.
Manjot Sahota
Featured image courtesy of Annika Gordon via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @uon_onceamonth via Instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
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