The period product industry needs urgent change. Women never signed up to have menstrual cycles, so why does the global economy get to profit off of us? Having a menstrual cycle should not be the equivalent of a financial burden. Most people with menstrual cycles not only have to pay for period products, but also have to pay taxes on them in thirty of the fifty states. The feminine hygiene industry is ever-growing in the United States, as shown by the graph of revenues (in billions) on the right. The fact that in this year alone, U.S. companies will make over $4.3 billion off of people with periods is revolting, as these companies are profiting off of something that we can’t control.
Period poverty, the struggle of low-income women in acquiring menstrual products, affects 500 million globally each year. As the definition quite literally suggests, this battle disproportionately affects lower-income women from low-income countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria; however, the struggle of menstrual inequity, the unequal access to menstrual products, education and reproductive care, affects women from all around the world.
Period poverty, and the overall stigma associated with menstrual cycles, is a fight for everyone. Despite many believing that period poverty is solely a struggle in low-income countries, one in ten women in college actually suffer from period poverty. This not only can cause hygenic issues, but it can also cause a large amount of stress and anxiety, leading to less focus on school, work and other important aspects of a student’s life.
PERIOD at Boston University, a chapter of the youth-led, non-profit organization PERIOD., has worked towards taking back the power of periods and trying to achieve systemic change to eliminate period poverty and period inequity. This chapter at BU has already held numerous fundraisers for menstrual products, such as their Period Product Drive, providing a way for students and faculty to give and make a difference this past Thanksgiving. Organizations such as these are pivotal to ensuring a better, and more equal future for access to menstrual products and other crucial resources. Corporations and governments need to also play a role in creating this change, and a few have already started trying to make a difference.
The U.K. recently eradicated its menstrual product tax in March of 2021. This tax, known as the tampon tax, had been required due to the E.U., and had been a minimum of a 5% tax. The abolishment of this has been seen as a huge step forward as the tax itself is extremely sexist since it implies that period products are non-essentials and puts forth a stigma about women. The removal of the tampon tax followed another critical change, one of which took place in Scotland.
In 2020, Scotland became the first country to provide free tampons and pads to its citizens in the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill. Monica Lennon, a Scottish politician, spearheaded this movement as she has been a major advocate towards ending period poverty in Scotland. Obviously, governments handing out free period products won’t solve period poverty and inequity as there is much more that needs to be done, such as access to reproductive education and more sustainable menstrual products; however, it is a good start as many countries have followed in suit, such as Kenya, Nova Scotia and New Zealand.