Period poverty is real and must be tackled quickly
In February, the Youth19 research group published its findings about period poverty in New Zealand. Youth19 is the latest in a series of surveys (collectively known as Youth2000), collating and analysing data on the health and wellbeing of our rangitahi/ youth.
Since the first survey in 2000, the researchers have analysed information from more than 27,000 young people in high schools, Kura Kaupapa Ma¯ ori, alternative education and teen parent units, collected in a robust, ethical and scientifically rigorous way. The quality and breadth of this information has enabled new understandings about some of the biggest challenges facing our young people today and the development of some targeted strategies and services to help support them.
As part of Youth19, nearly 4000 students who had started menstruating were asked about their experiences of period poverty, that is not being able to access the menstrual products (such as pads, tampons or cups) they need for their period.
The biggest barrier to access is usually cost (the total lifetime cost of these products is estimated to be around $15,000), but sometimes an absence of basic equipment (such as sanitary bins in primary schools), differing cultural beliefs or community stigma can present barriers, too.
The knock-on effects include:
■ School absence, hence missing out on important educational opportunities.
■ Withdrawal from other activities, such as social or sporting events due to fear, embarrassment and shame.
■ Physical health implications – young people report making their own menstrual protection out of toilet paper, tissues and pieces of material, which puts them at risk of urinary tract and genital infections, such as thrush and UTIs.
■ Mental health impacts – the disempowerment, shame and low self-esteem that can accompany period poverty, can all have negative effects on mental health and wellbeing.
What surprised me about Youth19’s findings is how common it is. A horrifying number of our rangitahi/youth are experiencing this on a regular basis.
Around 12 per cent of Year 9-13 students who were having periods reported having difficulty accessing menstrual items because of cost, and 5 per cent stated that this happened once a month or more.
In less well-off communities, this was found to be four times as common.
Eight per cent of young people who were menstruating reported having missed school because of a lack of menstrual products, and in lower-decile schools around 14 per cent reported missing more than one day each month for this reason. This figure was even higher among Ma¯ ori and Pasifika.
I suspect we still have a lot of work to do as a society to normalise periods and all things to do with them. If we facilitate and enable conversations with our young women and men, and demonstrate that as adults we aren’t afraid to talk about menstruation or any other aspect of our bodily functions, then we enable them to talk about it, too.
I have multiple opportunities where I can do this – with my daughters and their friends, at work, on social media. The more we talk about it, the more we move towards removing the taboos, shame and stigma that still clearly exists for some young people.
Alongside these more general
conversations, we need to specifically acknowledge that period poverty is a real issue for many rangitahi/youth in Aotearoa, and of course is symptomatic of more generalised poverty.
I will attempt to ask the young people I know how they cope with this, and whether it is affecting them or anyone in their wha¯ nau or social circle. And I will ask the schools they attend to do the same.
The university I work at provides free menstrual products for those students who can’t afford them, and also subsidised menstrual cups, but I’d love to know how many schools or tertiary institutions do the same, and whether that’s a sustainable solution. I suspect that ultimately this would impact too greatly on a school’s limited budget and, of course, would only provide a solution for those who are attending school.
Some fabulous organisations provide innovative options for people who want to take steps towards reducing period poverty.
The Dignity movement for example (dignitynz.com ) is founded on a mission ‘‘to provide access to sanitary items for all women in New Zealand’’.
Workplaces can sign up to a Dignity package (a bit like a subscription) and provide organic, biodegradable products free to their staff. For every pack of pads or tampons that is bought, Dignity will deliver the same amount, free of charge, to a school.
Kidscan (kidscan.org.nz/) and
Spinz (spinz.org.nz) are others doing similarly good work.
Another option is to support stores like The Warehouse, which stocks $1 packs of pads and tampons to reduce the impacts of period poverty. If we throw our purchasing weight behind the organisations making ethical decisions, it can create enough of a groundswell to persuade others to do the same.
But perhaps the most powerful thing we can do is to join together, so our voices are heard by those making the decisions. Our government has committed to reducing poverty and inequity and a solution to period poverty should be part of that commitment.
Last year, the Scottish government agreed to fund free menstrual products for young people at schools, colleges and universities, and this year England, Wales and parts of Canada followed suit.
I’d love to see New Zealand recognise and address this problem – as the Head of Human Rights at WASH United Hannah Neumeyer points out: ‘‘It’s simple – women and girls have human rights. And they have periods. One should not defeat the other’’.
To add your voice, visit Child Poverty Action Group (cpag.org. nz), and to see more of Youth19’s findings, visit youth19.ac.nz