Surge in women hit by period poverty
WOMEN have told how the cost of living crisis is making it hard for them to afford sanitary products.
Heartbreaking research recently revealed that a quarter of women who menstruate in the UK said they or their family have struggled to afford period products in the last year.
The charity WaterAid surveyed 2,000 British women and non-binary people and found that a quarter are wearing period products for longer than they should, risking their health. Researchers found one in five are coping by using makeshift materials such as toilet paper or sponges.
One woman shopping in Harpurhey told the M.E.N: “I’m using the cheapest toilet roll I can find to use for periods. It’s not hygienic or recommended, but it’s all I can afford.”
Another shopper in her late 20s said: “I think we are lucky around here because we have a range of shops. I’ll just go to Poundland
for stuff like that but there are some women who can’t buy the cheap stuff because they get a reaction and then it does become quite expensive. If I was having to buy anything other than own brand I think I’d find that difficult.”
A young women said her sister, who works in the NHS, has been forced to take period products from work as she is struggling to afford them on top of her normal shopping.
A survey by Plan International UK found that some girls and young women are currently left with no choice but to use socks, newspaper and other fabric because they can’t afford sanitary products. Last month’s poll found that half of girls who struggled to afford period products since the start of 2022 had to cut back on food and groceries to be able to buy them – almost double compared with last year.
More than a quarter are worried about how they will afford sanitary products over the coming months amid the ongoing costof-living crisis. One mum, who was shopping with her young child, called for period products to be made free for children up to the age of 18.
Chief executive of Plan International, Rose Caldwell said: “Period products are a necessity, not a luxury, and they need to be treated as such.”
A government spokesman said: “The government has taken a number of steps to ensure that sanitary products are available and affordable for all who need them, including scrapping VAT, and rolling out free period products to colleges, schools and hospitals.”