Pads, tampons, menstrual cups and other period products are a necessity for people who menstruate — and one that many people around the world are not able to afford. As many menstruators struggle to afford the hygiene products they need every month, activists and policymakers today are working towards achieving menstrual equity.
Understanding period poverty
Menstrual equity refers to the idea that everyone with a period needs reliable access to menstrual products and reproductive education. Due to gaps in menstrual equity, many people across the globe experience period poverty, or the inability to afford necessary menstrual products.
Some of these issues stem from the economic impact of menstrual products on the average consumer. Pads, tampons, menstrual cups and other products can be a significant burden for people with periods. The National Organization for Women estimates that the average person spends around $20 on menstrual products for each cycle, and since most menstruators have their period for about 40 years of their life, this can easily become a long-term financial hardship.
Period poverty affects a larger percentage of the population than many people might assume. A survey conducted by U by Kotex in 2021 found that at least 2 in 5 people with a period struggle to afford menstrual products at some point in their lives.
Students, including those at Boise State University, are a massive demographic affected by period poverty. Due to economic constraints and limited resources, many students find it difficult to afford or access necessary items. In a survey conducted by The Arbiter, 49% of student respondents reported having struggled at some point to afford menstrual products.
A variety of consequences can arise from a lack of access to necessary menstrual products, including to psychological and physical health. Individuals may experience stress, anxiety and feelings of shame due to the constant worry of managing their periods without sufficient supplies. The stigma associated with periods in many cultures only adds to the negative mental health effects of period poverty, making it harder for people in need of resources to speak up.
A lack of access to period products also has physical health consequences, especially when pads, tampons, or menstrual cups are used longer than they are meant to be. If they are not changed frequently enough, the prolonged use of these products can lead to toxic shock syndrome, infections and other health problems.
In addition to these issues, period poverty can make it challenging for people to complete their day-to-day responsibilities, such as at work and school. A study from Thinx and PERIOD found that 38% of responding students experienced difficulty completing their homework because of a lack of period products. Period poverty doesn’t just affect the quality of work, attending school or work at all can be a challenge for those experiencing period poverty.
Lisa McClain, a Gender Studies professor and former faculty advisor for Boise State’s Menstrual Equity Club, discussed how period poverty affects a student’s ability to participate in their education.
“One recent study found 1 in 4 high school students are reporting missing classes, and then among college students, it’s 1 in 10,” McClain said. “This means they’re missing classes, on a fairly regular basis, because they don’t have the feminine hygiene products that would allow them to stay in the classrooms. That means they fall behind, they don’t have as much information, they’re not having as strong an opportunity to succeed as some other students, and that’s an inequity.”
McClain went on to discuss how these issues also affect people in the workforce.
“Many people report that they have missed work because they don’t have access to menstrual hygiene products,” McClain said. “That means they lose wages, and that means whatever business they work for loses the productivity of that worker. For the worker, it exacerbates a cycle of poverty in many situations, and for the companies, they’re not as productive as they might otherwise be.”
When people cannot access the hygiene products they need, major challenges arise. Period poverty poses a variety of problems to affected communities, including negative effects on mental health, risks to physical health and issues completing day-to-day responsibilities. In a society where obtaining these necessary products can be so difficult, menstrual equity has become a major topic of debate in political spheres, education and elsewhere.
“Tampon Tim” and menstrual equity in the U.S. today
Tim Walz — or “Tampon Tim” as conservative critics and news outlets have dubbed him — is a major name in current political discourse surrounding menstrual equity. The Minnesota Governor and new Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate signed HF 2497, a 2023 Minnesota law mandating that menstrual products be made available at no cost to “all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12”, a policy garnering both praise and criticism.
Supporters of Walz, primarily from the Democratic Party, argue that the law is a major step forward in addressing period poverty. They believe that policies such as Walz’s are essential for ensuring menstrual equity, reducing absenteeism among students and promoting public health. Advocates for Walz view his policies as a progressive measure that addresses a fundamental need for students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.
On the other hand, Walz and his policies have been criticized, largely by members of the Republican party. Some critics said the Minnesota law is an unnecessary government expenditure and an overreach into local school budgets, but a great portion of the criticism of Walz from the right involves concerns surrounding gender ideology.
Several critics from the right believe that supplying menstrual products in all bathrooms blurs traditional gender roles and norms. For some conservatives, the idea that boys’ bathrooms should contain menstrual products is seen as an attempt to normalize the concept that gender is fluid, rather than fixed and biologically determined.
Advocates for the policy say these conversations ignore the presence of trans and nonbinary students in schools, and often misrepresent the situation, as McClain describes.
“Experts who have looked at the Minnesota schools say, in almost all situations, they’re just putting them in the girls’ bathroom and in any gender-inclusive bathrooms,” McClain said. “They also say that schools have some flexibility on how best to implement the policy. So perhaps if you have transgender students or gender non-binary students, they don’t have to put the dispensers in the boys’ bathrooms. They can put them in gender-inclusive bathrooms or in a staff bathroom or a nurse’s bathroom that the student has regular access to.”
Other states, including Oregon and Utah, have also passed bills regarding the provision of menstrual products in schools. Oregon’s HB 3294 or the “Menstrual Dignity Act” of 2021 requires that public schools provide free menstrual products to students. Similarly, Utah’s HB 162 of 2022 mandates that local school boards and charter schools must supply free menstrual products in unisex and female restrooms in all public schools.
Several states have individually passed bills surrounding other menstrual equity issues. For instance, Mississippi’s HB 196 or the “Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act” of 2021 includes a requirement that incarcerated women be supplied with necessary personal hygiene products. Mississippi is one of the 25 states with legislation mandating that women in correctional facilities be provided with menstrual products.
On a national level, introduced bill H.R. 3634, also known as the “Menstrual Equity for All Act” of 2023, would expand access to menstrual products through federal programs, including Medicaid and grants, and requires their availability in correctional facilities, public federal buildings and workplaces with over 100 employees. It also would prohibit states and localities from imposing taxes on menstrual products, although existing state taxes may remain until individually repealed.
Challenges menstruators face in Idaho
While legislation promoting menstrual equity exists across the country, period poverty is still a prevalent issue, including in Idaho. People with periods face a variety of challenges including economic hardships and harmful stigmas surrounding menstruation. The only legislation in Idaho surrounding menstrual equity — H.B. 313 requiring free menstrual products in female restrooms in public schools — was rejected in 2023 on the basis of being too “liberal” and “woke”.
In addition to a lack of legislation promoting menstrual equity, many Idaho residents face economic challenges that contribute to period poverty. Boise Period Project, an Idaho non-profit dedicated to fighting period poverty and distributing free products across the Treasure Valley, reports that “1 in 7 Idaho menstruators live below the Federal Poverty Line.” Mallori Bjerke, executive director of the organization, discussed why menstrual equity is such a pressing issue in Idaho.
“There is a lot of negative stigma around periods and in conservative states like Idaho, menstruators face challenges even being able to bring up periods in an attempt to gain information and learn,” Bjerke said. “We also have government officials in Idaho who shoot down legislation like providing free menstrual products in schools to students because it’s ‘too woke’, furthering the rhetoric that periods are just something that we aren’t supposed to talk about. I think menstruators in Idaho and other states like it deal with more shame when experiencing period poverty because the access to information and resources is so minimal.”
In conservative states like Idaho, menstruators face difficulties discussing periods to seek information. This lack of support and resources contributes to increased shame for menstruators experiencing period poverty. People with periods in Idaho and around the world are facing a distinct lack of resources and education, furthering the effects of period poverty.
Outcomes of menstrual equity
Providing free menstrual products yields a variety of benefits across various aspects of society. Improved educational outcomes are some of the most immediate advantages, as students with reliable access to these products would be less likely to miss school due to period-related issues. This would lead to better academic performance and more equitable educational opportunities, especially for those from low-income backgrounds.
In the long term, economic and health benefits also emerge. By reducing the financial burden on menstruators, particularly those already struggling with poverty, such policies can alleviate some of the economic stress that exacerbates cycles of poverty. Additionally, ensuring that menstruators have access to clean and safe products decreases the risk of health complications such as infections and toxic shock syndrome, promoting overall public health.
Another benefit is reducing stigma and promoting menstrual health awareness. When menstrual products are made readily available and discussions about menstruation are normalized in public spaces, it helps break down the stigma surrounding periods. This can lead to more open conversations about menstrual health and a better understanding of reproductive health issues.
McClain concluded by discussing the power that reducing stigma has on the fight for menstrual equity.
“Having these conversations about menstrual health is a game changer, because for thousands of years, menstruation has been stigmatized. It was considered in many cultures to be dirty, polluting. People who were menstruating were expected to isolate themselves away from the rest of the society. I’ve heard phrases like ‘it’s disgusting’. It’s a natural biological process that over half of us have. It says more about us as people whether we want to mock it and not talk about it, as opposed to having these open discussions about a natural process.”
While policies and practices have been instituted across the nation to promote access to period products and educational resources, the fight for menstrual equity is ongoing. The consequences of period poverty are evident in many communities, and it can be a challenge to break stigmas and enact change. Achieving menstrual equity requires effort and advocacy, but the significant societal benefits make it an essential goal to achieve public health and gender equality.
