Period poverty is the inability of a female to afford sanitary pads
Period poverty is not peculiar to only teen girls, adults too suffer from it
An adult who uses product A might be forced to go for product B due to an increase in product A
A girl child who’s unable to get proper hygiene due to lack of facilities like a toilet or running water is said to be a victim of period poverty
Period stigma is the shame and embarrassment people associate periods with
Causes of period poverty
High cost of sanitary pads:
the cost of sanitary pads keeps increasing at the dawn of a new day, this makes it impossible for the girl child to afford it
Sanitary pads are basic needs of a female, they shouldn’t be expensive.
Wars:
in cases where there are ways, this renders a lot of people homeless thereby making it difficult to access sanitary towels.
Low income:
a woman who’s a low-income earner will be forced to use other things instead of sanitary pads during her period.
Priority: in third-world countries where a lot of girls work as domestic help, their caregivers may not prioritize sanitary towels
Effects of period poverty
Absenteeism from school: if a girl can’t afford sanitary towels, she makes use of pieces of clothing materials that are unable to sustain her for a long period, because of this, she misses school for four to five days.
Imagine a situation where the girl child has to miss school for 16 to 20 days in a term because she’s seeing her period.
Health issues: using pieces of clothing materials are not hygienic so they end up causing health issues like reproductive issues and urinary tract infections which are likely to cause infertility in the future if not treated properly.
low self-esteem: a woman who can’t afford sanitary pads will suffer low self-esteem because she will not be able to move around her job.
Why is there a stigma around period?
Due to cultural beliefs, a lot of people see the period as something dirty and secret.
Stigmas around period
Most culture forbids women who are seeing their period to enter religious places
Some culture is against married women who are seeing the period cooking for their husbands.
Most females are seen as bad luck during their periods.
Girls are mocked when there’s a period stain on their clothes.
Ways to end period poverty and Stigma
Have conversations about periods with people.
Pass bills to support the reduction of sanitary towels prices.
Donate to charities that support the end of poverty.
Attend and support events surrounding end-period poverty and stigma.
Conclusion
Period poverty and stigma shouldn’t exist because periods are part of the processes that must take place in a woman’s body