Periods are a reality for females around the globe. They have a profound impact on daily lives, from puberty to middle age. In some cultures, talking about periods is completely taboo. In others it is, officially at least, accepted and facilities provided – and yet girls still struggle with anxiety and shame. It is rarely seen in a positive light – at best an inconvenience, at worst completely debilitating.
When we hear the term ‘period poverty’ we may be unclear about what that means. Or we might assume it relates to not being able to afford period products – and indeed this seems to be the focus of some governments as they work to tackle the issue. It does, of course, constitute part of it – but the meaning is actually wider. It’s been called the ‘toxic trio’ of period poverty – the inability to afford products, but also a ‘poverty’ of education about periods and, thirdly, the stigma surrounding periods.
The idea that periods are somehow ‘dirty’ is still prevalent – whether owing to traditional, religious or cultural influences, or the simple experience of dealing with bleeding and staining, which is a natural source of anxiety for females everywhere.
In the global south, provision of products and access to education vary immensely between rural and urban areas. Some remote communities have little access at all – and traditional taboos surrounding monthly bleeding means that the issue is simply not talked about. In some cultures, girls are confined to a house or even a shed for the duration of their period, as it is seen as being unclean. The onset of menstruation can also be seen as the moment when a child becomes a woman – it is celebrated. However, this can result in the adolescent child, now seen, culturally, as a woman, as being ‘marriage material’ – regardless of how young she is. This all too often results in child brides, the perpetuation of cycles of inappropriate sexual encounters given the age of the girl, gender-based violence and the dangers of child birth for one so young.
When it comes to resources, it is not just about towels and tampons, but taps and toilets – the provision of appropriate private sanitation facilities. The worry of clothes being stained and being teased, especially by boys, understandably occurs wherever girls go to school. The lack of control over what their bodies are doing can be distressing – and where there are no private facilities for girls to change pads or clean themselves, they may stop attending school for the duration of their period, or even stop attending altogether. This may well lead to a decrease in other educational opportunities.
Walking long distances to facilities – including those in humanitarian camps – makes it even more distressing and difficult. Lack of privacy and poor sanitation facilities can drive girls and women to use outside spaces, outside the safety of schools and communities, putting them at risk from other factors – gender-based violence, animal attack and disease. As with so many development issues, one thing impacts another – especially, in this case, gender equality.
Through the impact of no safe access and misunderstanding over the nature of periods – the risks increase, including those from the reuse of pads, dirty rags or not being able to wash properly.
In wealthier countries, places providing free products, education and support were closed during lock downs, so the pandemic affected girls in this way too. Now, with the cost-of-living crisis, everything is harder to afford – when all money is spent paying food and household bills, where do the girls get their period products? When poverty and periods BOTH carry feelings of shame – however unjustified – it is doubly hard to ask for help. This can make it hard for others to get a sense of where help is needed.
Talking about periods is not easy for girls, even in cultures where it is acceptable or even encouraged – having to request assistance is difficult and embarrassing. It’s tough looking or feeling ‘different’ from your peers, fearing being teased, struggling to put things into words. This can mean that it’s difficult to find out the extent of period poverty in some areas and what the needs are because girls don’t want to talk about periods. A 2018 study, Always Confidence and Puberty Study, reported that in Canada, one in seven girls have either left school early or missed school entirely because they don’t have what they need to manage their periods.
In some areas of the world, schools and even some food banks appear to ‘have things covered’, but it is still worth reflecting on the following: Where might this be a struggle for women and girls? What facilities do we provide in our churches and venues for women and girls? What about women’s refuges? What about people seeking asylum? Can we get involved in promoting the using of reusable menstrual products? How can we promote awareness of this issue, or support those who are doing things to help?
This year the NSPEI Diocesan Mothers’ Union has been raising awareness about period poverty and its impact on gender equality. On June 3, at their Spring Rally, Celebrate. Period!, members will be contributing funds to The Madagascar Project. This Canadian project, stared in 2008 by Kathy Lucking, built a school for 65 children in the remote highlands of Madagascar. Today it has 800 students from kindergarten to high school. The project also supports other schools in remote areas of Madagascar. The funds raised will allow for the purchase of sewing machines and materials so that the girls can make their own reusable pads, which in turn will boost their attendance at school and their hope for the future.
Excerpts for this article are from https://www.mothersunion.org/news/period-poverty-and-gender-justice
