Period Poverty: What Is It and What's It Got to Do With Personal Finance?
Period Poverty: What Is It & What's It Got to Do With Personal Finance?
@periodpacks613 via Instagram
03.28.2022 - By: Anastasia Barbuzzi
By now I think it’s no secret that any part of life that affects our personal finances tends to inspire episodes on $HMONEY Radio. And of course, me and all the other menstruators of the world cannot forget that periods are a normal part of everyday life.
It’s true. On any given day, some 800 million women, girls, and gender-diverse groups are menstruating. And on any given day, a large fraction of menstruators experience period poverty worldwide.
Period poverty? What does it have to do with personal finance? Before I get to answer that question and address why menstrual health is health care, let me define what period poverty really means.
What Does Period Poverty Mean?
At the root of it, period poverty refers to a lack of access to menstrual products, sanitation facilities, and adequate education. A number of economic, health and emotional issues come with having a menstrual cycle, even more so for those with a less privileged socioeconomic status.
Why Is Period Poverty An Issue?
Speaking of socioeconomic status, women and other marginalized groups continue to live with the consequences of pay inequity, and pay inequity results in being unable to afford proper menstrual health products. Inflation has also driven up the price of menstrual products further, making them even less affordable.
Overall, women continue to pay more than men for basic items such as personal care products and even haircuts. Moreover, period care products are an expense that people who do not menstruate have to worry about.
To add, many menstruators act as primary caregivers for family members and loved ones such as children, elders, and people with disabilities. Being a caregiver takes a toll emotionally and financially, similar to (and on top of) having a menstrual cycle.
Plus, periods are generally an uncomfortable subject for most people to discuss. This discomfort adds to the menstruation taboo, which perpetuates period poverty too. Not to mention, anyone who menstruates should have the right to access to non-toxic, affordably priced period products to care for their menstrual health.
@redisthenewgreen via Instagram
Facts About Period Poverty:
Thankfully, we’ve seen an upswing in period poverty research. The following points contain some of the most striking facts about period poverty to date:
According to research by Plan International Canada, 34% of women and girls in Canada had to often or occasionally make budgetary sacrifices in order to afford menstrual products.
63% of women and girls had to miss an activity regularly or occasionally because they were menstruating and had concerns about not being able to access either menstrual products or proper sanitation facilities.
The average menstruator spends upwards of six years menstruating over the course of their lifetime and up to $6,000 on menstrual hygiene products.
How Does Period Poverty Affect Mental Health and Education?
Period poverty and mental health are closely linked, similar to period poverty and education. Many times, the cost of menstrual products can mean that women, girls, gender-diverse people, people of colour (BIPOC), and Indigenous women who are living with disabilities and/or in poverty or domestic violence shelters, have to choose food over their health. Those experiencing homelessness continue to choose other means over period products in order to survive as well.
That said, period poverty can have drastic affects on mental health, and having to miss school due to any of the circumstances listed above can make menstruators lose out on learning opportunities. Not having access to menstrual products or experiencing a heavy, painful period can cause menstruators to miss work and school too.
via Plan International
What Does Period Poverty Have to Do With Personal Finance?
That’s easy! Everything. The cost of period products alone has an extreme impact on the personal finances of menstruators. In my opinion, this makes period poverty inextricably linked to personal finance and that’s why I continue to dissect this topic on the podcast. You’ll find a list of related episodes below.
Why Money Matters In Achieving Menstrual Equity w/ Rachel Ettinger (PART 1)
In 2017, @rachettinger founded @shophereforher, a social enterprise that discusses health and challenges norms surrounding health education and compassionate healthcare for all folks. It was through Here for Her that Rachel discovered discussing the challenges that come with menstruating wasn’t cute, it wasn’t nice — it was necessary.
Think about it: Affording toilet paper is already an issue for many, so can you imagine how the cost of menstrual products affects women, gender non-conforming and trans folks too? Especially during the pandemic?
Rachel’s fight for #menstrualequity is based off of one hard fact: menstruation disproportionately affects people who menstruate compared to those who do not, and with having to afford menstrual products on top of all other expenses (rent, tuition, food, etc.), it becomes an equity issue.
Menstrual products are also unaffordable for people in shelters where Rachel does a lot of advocacy work, and she points out that they will use other means to get by, which only creates more health problems. If you’ve ever had to miss school or leave work due to being unprepared for your period, then you know what she’s talking about. The solution? Free menstrual products in public buildings for all.
Through Here for Her, Rachel has already managed to secure free menstrual products in all city-owned buildings in London, Ont., and now she’s working on a petition that will hopefully have Canada’s federal government make good on their promise of providing free menstrual products in federally regulated workplaces, which they fell back on in 2019.
In this episode, Rachel and I discuss all of this and more.
Why Money Matters In Achieving Menstrual Equity w/ Ellen Mihalovich (PART 2)
Before @gemmwell came into the picture, Ellen founded La Belleforte, a platform that fostered authentic conversations about periods, cutting through all the branding and medical jargon on the internet. She'll give you the details on the transition in her introduction to this episode (since we recorded it prior to the switch).
Nevertheless, it’s full of valuable information about the inaccessibility of menstrual products and the effects. Did you know that one in five women in the U.S. are faced with difficult decisions like whether they should supply themselves menstrual products or feed their families every month? ...Now you do.
Ellen and I discuss the lack of federal laws surrounding the disclosure of ingredients and materials used to make menstrual products (which factored into her decision to start @gemmwell), access to education on reproductive health, and the link between systemic racism and uterine fibroids.
What It Costs to Create a Brand That Truly Makes a Difference w/ Kat Plouffe, CEO & Co-Founder of Sustainable Period Care Company Only
Kat Plouffe believes that period products shouldn't cut into your survival budget for things like food and rent. That's part of the reason why she spent six years building Only, which provides access to affordable, convenient, organic and biodegradable period products.
According to Kat, "organic" shouldn’t be an option just for those who can afford to pay a premium. Only's eco-friendly subscription model allows Plouffe and her partners to offer their products at lower price point. Plus, for every subscription purchased, Only makes a donation to help eliminate period poverty in Canada.
On this episode of the #FoundingFemme series, I chat with Kat about making the first organic tampon Canada’s seen in a decade, working on a period care brand with male business partners, decreasing the shame around periods to educate about women's issues, and more.
About the series: If you want a BTS, insider look at how superwomen across industries came to live their dreams by doing their jobs - on their own terms - #FoundingFemme is for you. Learn just what it takes to start, grow, and sustain a company more than just financially. Tap or click here for more info.
BTS of Creating Affordable and Accessible Period Care w/ Sister Duo Courtney & Morgan King
Courtney and Morgan King are on a mission to modernize period care. Sick of outdated support, inadequate access, and negative stigmas associated with talking about menstruation, they decided it was time for a change.
Using a period tracking app and telemedicine network, Orchyd tackles the lack of affordable health and period care available to those who menstruate. If you've downloaded and deleted almost every period app out there, you're going to want to listen to this episode.
On this episode of the #FoundingFemme series, I chat with the sisters about funding, creating and building a unique and purposeful brand in an extremely competitive industry weighted down by taboo.
How to End Period Poverty
First, we need to increase period poverty awareness. Fortunately, we’ve started to take to social media about it and it’s helping. Next, governments must realize that access to free menstrual products would do a lot to maintain the health of the general population and provide dignity to women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
Looking ahead to Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, I hope we see even more progress in the fight to end period poverty once and for all.
Have questions about period poverty? Leave them in the comments below!
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