Battling Against Period Poverty
Period poverty is the lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products during monthly periods as well as the lack of access to essential sanitation services, facilities, and menstrual hygiene education (Carneiro, 2021 as cited in Jaafar, et al., 2023). According to a survey done by Action Aid, of those who experience periods in the UK, 21% struggle to buy period products, which is 9% higher than 2022 (Pycroft, 2023). Highlighting the reality of the prevalence of period poverty within the UK and the need to thoroughly address the issue.
Period poverty is also prevalent at schools, with 1 in 10 girls aged 14 to 21 being unable to afford period products and 49% having missed school because of their periods (Plan International, 2020). The consequence of missing school because of their periods is detrimental to their education, with students who menstruate missing 145 days of school if they miss school every period (Bodyform, 2020). In 2022 period products were made freely available within school and colleges within England (Department of Education, 2022), with a similar scheme having been introduced in Scotland in 2018.
Introducing free period products is only a step-in tackling period poverty. Addressing the issue on a wider scale would include expanding access to free period products, not only in schools and colleges, but also workplaces, universities and public spaces. Moreover, improving the material used to teach students about menstruation is vital as it is important that we empower young people to be able to navigate their menstrual health with confidence. Menstrual health education has changed over the years, with education surrounding the topic having improved. As such it is important that we offer free sessions on menstruation to adults to improve their knowledge of menstrual health to combat period myths and make talking about menstruation normal.
There are multiple organisations that are helping tackle period poverty such as Freedom4Girls, a charity that strives to support all who menstruate by confronting the stigmas and taboos associated with periods. They strive to support those who menstruate through education, and participating in the movement against period poverty.
Find out more about periods and menstruation by attending our Embrace Your Flow: Period Workshop with Freedom4Girls, on Saturday the 27th of January.
Follow the link to register for free: https://quetzal.org.uk/free-workshop-menstruation-women/
References:
- Bodyform, 2020. What is Period poverty. [Online] Available at: https://www.bodyform.co.uk/break-taboos/our-world/period-poverty/ [Accessed 20 January 2024].
- Department of Education, 2022. Period Products Scheme: Ad-hoc Statistics: 2022 Management Information, London: Department of Education.
- Jaafer, H., Ismail, S.Y., and Azzeri, A., 2023. Period Poverty: A Neglected Public Health Issue. Journal of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine, Volume 44, pp. 183-188.
- Plan International, 2020. Menstrual Health Day: Global Period Poverty and Stigma Getting Worse Under Lockdown. [Online]. Available at: https://plan-uk.org/media-centre/menstrual-health-day-global-period-poverty-and-stigma-getting-worse-under-lockdown [Accessed 21 January 2024]
- Pycroft, H., 2023. Cost of Living: UK Period Poverty has Risen from 12% to 21% in a Year. [Online]. Available at: https://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/2023/05/26/cost-living-uk-period-poverty-risen [Accessed 20 January 2024].
– Written by Amelia Phillips, Campaigns Volunteer at Quetzal
