Period poverty. It's a term you may not be familiar with, and refers to the struggles that women and girls face when it comes to buying feminine hygiene products, such as tampons and pads. When it comes to menstruation, women face additional inequities surrounding their health and finances.
While this may sound like an issue that only affects people in developing countries, it's an issue right here in Canada. For example, one third of women under the age of 25 have reported that they struggle to pay for fundamental menstrual products, such as pads and tampons.
Poverty, be it period related or otherwise, tends to affect people from marginalized communities more than anyone else. In indigenous communities, for instance, a box of tampons can range anywhere from $16 to upwards of $45. This period poverty is coupled with a lack of food security and access to clean water.
The Canadian government takes a share of the blame, as the "luxury item tax" was only lifted from menstrual products in 2015. While the tax was lifted from incontinence products and prescription drugs years before hand, the government collected over $37 million on menstrual hygiene products in 2014 alone.
There are however some movements that are promising in the face of ending period poverty in Canada. On August 30th, The Toronto District School Board announced that it will be providing free tampons and pads in both elementary and secondary schools, beginning this fall. British Columbia paved the way for this after becoming the first Canadian province to provide free menstrual products for their students this past spring. This past March, Toronto City Council almost doubled their financial commitment to funding menstrual product supplies at city-run shelters and priority community shelters, in an attempt to supply the cities most poorest communities.
One Toronto woman, who was homeless for over 10 years, reported that previously shelters in Toronto would only provide homeless women with one pad and tampon per period. With a lack of products, she claims that she used alternatives such as paper towel, socks, and newspaper, from which she contracted an infection.
While their are many period products that are reusable, such as the menstrual cup (which retails at an average of $40) or cloth pads (which average around $40 for a pack of five) these reusable products require washing and disinfecting, two things that can be hard to come by for transient people, as well as those living below the poverty line.
There are some resources for women living in Canada. For instance, The Period Purse, a non-profit organization that provides donated menstrual products to disadvantaged people in Ontario. The Period Purse creates packages with a variety of different products, giving the woman receiving them the choice to use what makes them most comfortable. In Toronto, the shelter Sistering is a multi-service agency for isolated, vulnerable women who are either homeless or living in unstable conditions. They also provide menstrual products and other general hygiene resources. As well, Planned Parenthood offices across the country provide free pads and tampons.
Written by: Devon Clare Banfield
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