Period Poverty- it’s a Bloody Fight

Season 3, episode 10

Let's get into it...

Summary:

Periods don’t just affect women with the pain, it’s the shame, embarrassment and the cost of them!

The cost of periods isn’t just period products. It is also the bedding and clothes that you might have to replace after you leak. The cost of pain relief and even access to clean water.

Period poverty is lack of ability to access menstrual products due to economic poverty and lack of education.

Period products are taxed! 2021 the tampon tax was removed, and so has de-stigmatised that it is a luxury, but since the cost of living crisis, period products are the exact same price as they were with the tax, so it hasn’t actually helped that much. Still expensive to buy.

On average period products cost £8 in a month. So if you are a low income family or even living of £9.10 (like we heard from the asylum podcast) it’s too expensive and forces people to choose between essentially food and period products.

Asylum seeking women are the most marginalised in terms of period poverty, due to the expense and the difficulty for them to get period products as they aren’t given out at food banks etc.

Listen to the pod 24:30 for stories of period poverty

3 things we learnt:

73% of UK students said they struggle to access a bathroom when on their period

1 in 8 people struggle to afford sanitary products!

1 in 10 girls in Africa miss school because of lack access to period products

Challenge:

Educate someone on period poverty

Question if there are period products at your work place for women to use?