Period Poverty: how can youth be the key to breaking taboo surrounding menstruation and enact change?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Maryam Junaid, a first-year medical student enrolled in the University of Lahore. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writers and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Period poverty is an issue affecting millions across the globe. It can be defined as a lack of access to sanitary menstrual products and hygiene, along with how to effectively manage waste. This issue can stem due to financial constraints as well as a lack of information regarding the reality of menstruation. This stems through an inaccurate understanding of menstruation that leads to individuals forming misconceptions and superstitions about a natural bodily process. 

Tampon use is occasionally discouraged in the USA because it is thought that doing so would cause the hymen to rupture and render women impure. Women in India are forbidden from going inside temples or the kitchen while they are menstruating because they are viewed as unclean at that time. And in Romania, it is said that a menstruator can make a flower wilt by touching it. Women may also be at danger as a result of erroneous beliefs about menstruation. Women in Nepal who are on their period are compelled to remain outside the home, sometimes in cow sheds or other areas outside of their homes. 

These taboos paired with period poverty then has a harmful effect on society as a whole, not just on girls and women. Due to their period, many girls drop out of school. Nearly 50% of females have missed a full day of class. Around 137,000 girls miss school as a result of this every year, which might have a long-term effect on a girl’s education, particularly if days are lost each month. According to a study of 32,7498 women in the Netherlands, 13.8% of women skip work because of their periods, with 3.4% missing every month. 

Furthermore, more than 80% of women reported finding it more difficult and wishing they had more flexibility in their activities and working hours when they were on their period. Because of the decreased productivity, this has an effect on the economy. Greater flexibility and more open, honest dialogues about menstruation health might assist to solve these difficulties because schools and businesses don’t take into consideration female menstrual health despite the fact that it affects a significant portion of the population. 

As a result, the youth of today can participate in various initiatives to break the taboo surrounding menstruation. Menstrual health, according to the Global Menstrual Collective, is a state of whole physical, mental, and social well-being rather than just the absence of conditions related to the menstrual cycle. Menstrual difficulties can and should no longer be disregarded as more than half of university students and half of the world’s population are women. The recommendations offered by the Global Menstrual Collective might serve as a model for men, organizations, and companies that want to make a difference in eradicating period poverty. 

These recommendations include initiating and supporting programs that advance access to menstrual products and knowledge of menstruation and ensuring that the environment is welcoming and encouraging so that persons who are menstruation may engage in all parts of life, including going to work and school and playing sports. Finally, menstrual health education for both boys and girls at home and in school can be conducted to boost self-esteem, promote healthy behaviors, and foster social solidarity by raising awareness of and providing support for issues affecting women’s uteruses, such as period poverty and PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease), which has an impact on a woman’s hormone levels.

About the author

Maryam Junaid is a first-year medical student enrolled in the University of Lahore. Maryam completed her primary and high school education from SICAS Lahore. She is known as an exceptional student due to her academic success by achieving 4 A*s and 5 As in O-Levels, along with 1 A* and 2 As in A Levels. In addition to her academics, she is also an enthusiast of English Language and Literature with a developed love and skill for writing poetry. As an upcoming future doctor, Maryam is working hard to ensure that she educates herself about the relevant medical problems faced by various individuals in the world so that she can equip herself with awareness of how to tackle them.