ELLA-MAE O'SULLIVAN
Periods; half of the world has them, but can all of that half afford them? According to a study by Plan UK, the answer is an astounding and disheartening no.
It starts off as just your average day. Perhaps you’re out on a walk with friends raving about that Netflix series you just started, or maybe you're sitting at home, working on the deadline that you’re behind on because of that Netflix series you just started. Either way, nothing seems too out of the ordinary. But then it hits you - or should I say, it hits your newest Savage X Fenty purchase. It's your period, a biological process that affects half of the world’s population on a monthly basis; but not one that all of that half can afford. Whilst you or I may be able to throw the stained underwear in the wash after popping to the local shop for a pack of tampons or pads, for so many across the UK - and the rest of the world - doing the same is not so easy.
According to the 2017 study by Plan UK, one in ten girls and women across the United Kingdom have been unable to afford sanitary products, whilst one in seven have had to borrow them from a friend after lacking the funds to buy their own. With the average cost of having a period racking up a total of around £492 per year, as found in the results of a VouchersProCodes survey, it’s no wonder that those facing financial struggles may simply be unable to afford this extra monthly expense. It does have to be noted that this figure includes ‘non essential items’ like chocolate and additional toiletries, which for those who are truly facing period poverty, would not even be able to cross their radar; but this isn’t to say that paying for a period without these ‘luxuries’ is any easier, or justified. In actual fact, sanitary products are considered to be within this ‘luxury’ bracket - at least according to tax exemption laws. This is why picking up that pack of tampons means paying an additional 5% VAT; but a lottery ticket or cycling helmet? You’re covered. It could be that policy makers assume those with periods wake up and decide that bleeding for a week sounds like a dandy idea, but the fact that basic sanitation for females is not classed as essential raises major concern.
As stated before, due to the expense, many girls have to turn to others to borrow the resources that they themselves can’t buy, but what happens to those that don’t have a friend to borrow from or who are too ashamed to ask? Well, a further statistic shows that 12% of those surveyed had been forced to improvise sanitary wear due to affordability issues. From toilet roll and rags to socks and newspaper, the use of these make shift products is not only an issue in regards to discomfort, but in regards to health, providing greater risk of infection as well as being ineffective at actually capturing the bleeding. Perhaps one of the most disheartening effects of this is that many are actively avoiding school due to the anxiety of being unable to afford menstrual products. The fact that children across the UK are being denied access to education, thus stunting their own potential, because of a bodily process outside of their control is not only distressing, but when paired with the shame and secrecy that surrounds menstruation, utterly unjust.
Within mainstream media, periods are often shown, if ever at all, through a woman curled up on the sofa, engulfed in a sea of chocolate wrappers and ‘irrational’ tears. The intense cramps, exhaustive and often depressive mood swings and the relentless discomfort turns into somewhat of a comedy sketch, with drowning in pints of Ben and Jerry’s always seeming to be the punchline. But what about the girls and women who go through the same symptoms, the same pain and discomfort, without the basic materials that they need to function, never mind a £5 tub of phish food and some ibuprofen.
For a household already struggling financially, monthly menstruation may not make the budget, especially when considering how the number of people with periods in a household, the heaviness of their flow and the length of their cycle all impact and rack up the end total. No parent should have to choose between whether their daughter gets tampons for the week or a meal at dinner and no child should feel too guilty to ask for an extra pad when they’ve bled through their first.
Period poverty is a real issue and it is sat on our doorstep. It’s a problem that faces people across the UK on a daily basis, yet one that’s so frequently ignored because of the stigma that surrounds the female body and its functions. From the discreet packaging and ‘never wear white’ policy, to the endless list of ways of saying you're on your period without actually saying it (‘that time of the month’ and ‘visit from Auntie Flo’ to name a couple) we have been ingrained to think of one of the body's most natural processes as a source of shame.
When it comes down to it, a lot of people have periods, which, in case you weren’t aware, means that a lot of people bleed from their vagina on a monthly basis so that human life can continue - you’re welcome. It's not ‘gross,’ it's not ‘TMI,’ it’s a biological fact, so if you can’t read that sentence without cringing, then please, take a biology lesson and grow up. In fact, the only thing disgusting about periods is the fact that some people can’t afford to manage them properly and are made to feel too embarrassed to speak out about it.
As countries like Scotland and New Zealand move to make period products free of charge, whilst the French government have recently vouched to provide the financial aid necessary for women who are struggling, we may finally be experiencing the global recognition that this problem so desperately needs. However, in order to truly tackle period poverty, it’s not just product prices that need to change, but our views towards periods as a whole.
Legislation is great and essential to the cause, but without similar shifts in societal acceptance, progress will always be limited. This is not to say that the stigma surrounding menstruation only affects those facing period poverty, but it certainly impacts them harder than most, taking an already tough struggle and forcing it to be dealt with in the shadows.
So, the next time that Auntie Flo pops around, try to open up and normalize the menstruation conversation, perhaps challenging your own beliefs about what it is to have a period and where any shame or embarrassment you may carry actually stems from. On a more practical level, maybe think about skipping the ice cream and instead using the money to drop some supplies at your local shelter, or donating to one of the many projects pushing for change, because having a period isn't a ‘luxury’, so managing one effectively and safely shouldn’t be either.
Plan UK studies:
Cost of a period article:
Projects for change:
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