Period Poverty Around the Globe
A Global Issue
With statistics from the World Bank suggesting that at least 500 million and girls globally lack access to the facilities they need to manage their periods; it should be inevitable that this is a huge global issue that is not just specific to one country.
Why is it important to support and understand different local groups across the globe?
Periods and menstruation are seen very differently across the world; it's important to understand and recognise this. Local organisations will better know how to address these cultural sensitivities and how donations can be used in local areas to have the most effective outcomes possible. See the 'How To Help' page for more information on groups you can support.
Some examples of different attitudes and statistics across the continents:
Asia
In Nepal, a practised tradition is Chhaupadi where young girls are banished for the duration of their period, due to the belief they could bring their family bad luck, or ill health.
In India, women are considered to be “untouchable” when menstruating.
48% of menstruators in Iran believe that menstruation is a disease
Africa
Research shows that 65% of women and girls in Kenya are unable to afford sanitary products.
10% of fifteen year olds in Kenya have been reported to use transactional sex to receive sanitary pads.
In some tribes, menstruation is viewed as a ‘polluting presence’, which can affect her husband’s ability to hunt.
1 in 10 menstruators in Sub-Saharan Africa will miss school when they get their period - this equates to up to 20% of the whole school year so has a huge impact on their education (World Bank, 2021).
North America
In Missouri (US) a reported 64% of women were unable to afford menstrual products in 2018.
There is a 16% Value Added Tax (VAT) in Mexico on sanitary pads and tampons and all items related to the management of menstruation.
South America
According to a 2018 source two packs of pads can consume up to a third of a women’s minimum salary in Venezuela.
Oceania
In 2020 a survey found that 90,000 school-age girls in New Zealand stay home from school due to not being about to afford sanitary products.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the following cyclone on the island, period products in Fiji have more than doubled in price.
Europe
Research has highlighted that more than 137,700 girls in the UK missed school last year because they can’t afford sanitary products.
Studies have shown that 6% of parents in the UK said they had been so desperate to equip their daughters with menstrual products that they have resorted to stealing.
In France, 20% of women have already been confronted with menstrual poverty.
ActionAid UK. 2022. Period poverty: the statistics around the world. [online] Available at: <https://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/2022/05/18/period-poverty-statistics-around-world>
Period View. 2022. Cultural Views of Menstruation. [online] Available at: <https://www.fertilitycouncil.com/periodview/cultural-views-of-menstruation/>
Thelwell, K., Thelwell, K. and Venezuela, W., 2022. What to Know About Period Poverty in Venezuela - The Borgen Project. [online] The Borgen Project. Available at: <https://borgenproject.org/period-poverty-in-venezuela/>