Globally, over 1.8 billion individuals experience menstruation every month. The average menstruator spends 2,535 days of their life menstruating. Although menstruation is a natural process, many menstruators around the world face social, economic, and institutional barriers to adequate menstrual hygiene … Continue reading
Tag: Period poverty
Tackling Period Poverty in Canada
In Canada, 1/3 of menstruators under 25 have struggled to pay for period products. Along with many other countries, the Canadian government has not recognized these fundamental necessities as such. This is evident through the federal government's luxury of 1991, also known as the “pink tax” which treated sanitary products as luxury items rather than necessities. This tax points to the gender inequality at play; through this tax, not only were period products made inaccessible, but Canada racked in $37 million from menstruators. It was not until 2015, which is when the #notaxontampons campaigns occured, that it was removed.
A Look at the Impact of Period Poverty on Girls in Kenya
Girls in Kenya will miss about four days of school each month, or an average of 20% of the school year, because they are on their period. Across the globe, period shame and period poverty contributes to health complications, humiliation, poor access to employment, and other challenges for women.