Walking in the supermarket, and trying to find a female hygiene product, how many of you found them overpriced? Or how many of you kept the product back on the shelve only because it was expensive or chose to buy something else over the period’s product?
Happens! Many women find feminine hygiene products overpriced, which only shows that periods poverty is real. Around 46% of women in Europe alone think periods products are overpriced. But what about the situation in third world nation? In south-east Asia alone, where Periods is still a taboo, women use leaves of trees, old piece of cloths, ashes etc and practice isolation during those four days of the month.
Many women have admitted that they’ve had menstrual emergencies due to a lack of access to products. Missing important classes, meetings, or fleeing while running errands is a part of the experience, being a woman. Easy availability by installing machines that can make periods products accessible in the public toilets around the shopping malls, businesses, universities campuses, schools etc can solve the problem to an extent.
But what about the women who have no means to buy products whatsoever? Well, education and awareness will not change things, unless period products are made available for free. This fight should be for reducing prices, making them tax-free or making them completely free and available to all women. The governments of every nation should consider the health and safety of women in a long run, only them economies can truly prosper.
Even in the 21 st century, there are hundreds of thousands of women that have limited access to the menstrual hygiene products. That’s the only way to change it!
To fight period poverty and increase the accessibility of feminine hygiene products, raising awareness is important. Join the fight, and share your stories of periods poverty!