Period Poverty: Closer to Home Than You Think

Tomorrow, October 19, marks the first National Period Day. Created by PERIOD: The Menstrual Movement, National Period Day is a day to break the stigma around menstruation and elevate the issue of period poverty. Period poverty occurs when a person is unable to access menstrual hygiene products due to cost. When we talk about period poverty, many people think of the developing world, but period poverty is a very serious issue in the US as well. A study in St. Louis, Missouri found that nearly two thirds of low-income women were unable to afford menstrual products at some point during the last year. When people don’t have access to menstrual products, they’re often forced to choose between missing work or school, or making do with paper towels, rags, or other ineffective and possibly unhygienic solutions. Some schools, including those in New York State, provide free menstrual products to their students. New York is also among the states that have eliminated the “tampon tax,” where menstrual products were taxed as luxuries. To learn more, visit https://www.period.org/.