Period Equity. Period.
With the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, attacks on women’s bodily autonomy and rights have become less thinly veiled. As this is not the only issue at stake, it is necessary and urgent to consider other injustices women face under current and future federal and state legislation. Specifically, the struggle for period equity is one that affects over 50% of the world’s population. In the midst of a nationwide shortage of tampons, accessibility and affordability of menstrual products are of the utmost importance, not as a luxury, but as tools for health, economic, and educational liberation. To demonstrate this, we’ll look at the current results from progressive-leaning state bills, the proposed federal legislation of HR 3614, and activism-based ways to fill any gaps.
As a brief history, five state legislatures (California, New York, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Virginia) have already instituted evidence-based policy programs to promote equity objectives among their constituents. In January 2022, California Assemblymember, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, proposed a bill that would eliminate the “pink tax,” making it so goods that are substantially similar (e.g., razors, pencils), cannot have a price difference based on gender. Moreover, bills like California’s AB 367 make it so that all 6-12 public schools, community colleges, and California State Universities must provide free tampons and menstrual pads in restrooms. Data from participant pilot schools in these states show that these policies allow for greater economic freedom and educational attainment for girls and women. In fact, schools saw a 2.4% increase in school attendance, making the policies crucial for equal learning opportunities. Further, within the public school context, a New York bill has been proven to decrease mental health issues and increase the availability of menstrual products more generally. Therefore, all of these policies serve to protect women and others who menstruate from further patriarchy-based harm.
Federally, HR 3614 is known as the “Menstrual Equity for All Act.” This federal legislation has been proposed to allow for better access and decreased costs associated with attaining menstrual products nationwide. Specifically, this bill targets underserved groups (i.e., incarcerated women, students, Medicaid recipients, and unhoused individuals) by providing tampons and menstrual pads in convenient, government-managed facilities. Allowing for grant funding to be set aside for menstrual product purposes will also encourage private-sphere enterprises to provide for their employees and patrons. Thus, in order to lower the individual cost to the consumer (statistically, a less-well-off population given the wage gap), lower the impact of this trade-off cost on the healthcare system, increase the accessibility of products to the individual consumer, and create positive results in the economy, progressive state bills should be used to guide upcoming federal legislative goals.
Costs of menstrual products, which limit the availability of said products, create serious health issues such as infections, disease, or impacts on mental health for people who menstruate. This factor alone increases inequities among constituents, as it more harshly affects vulnerable populations. In fact, one in five menstruators reported not being able to afford menstrual products, impacting socioeconomic insecure people unequally. Because of this, it is important to highlight unhoused individuals in this conversation so as to center the impacts on low-income individuals. The health issues created by the limited availability of menstrual products especially affect unhoused individuals, who are already more likely to have mental and physical health issues due to their living situations. Studies show that those living on the streets are more likely to “make” their own products out of inadequate, and sometimes unsafe, materials or steal products when necessary. Using unsafe materials in lieu of proper menstrual products causes mental stress and physical risks, which further adds to the burdens of homelessness. Furthermore, both those regularly living in shelters and those regularly living on the streets find it difficult to access menstrual products when needed due to institutional barriers and shelter shortages. Unhoused people who menstruate are actually faced with the choice of whether to purchase food or menstrual products every month. Therefore, instituting federal regulations, such as HR 3614, would promote gender equality for women, transgender, and non-binary low-income people by addressing these issues.
Because there is currently no sustainable model to solve these issues, they are being dealt with retroactively; these potential health impacts put undue pressure on the healthcare system and social workers through treatment-based procedures. By pivoting to a preventative-based approach, as HR 3617 would provide, funding could be diverted, in part, from the healthcare system and social services to the educational system for implementation purposes.
Accessibility of menstrual products is further crucial to ensuring the full participation of all in public life and the economy. 34% of people who menstruate have needed to leave what they were doing to retrieve menstrual products, sometimes from a completely different location, impacting education and productivity. In fact, a study found that one in four girls missed class because of a lack of menstrual products. Disruptions such as these cost considerable time and resources, which can, again, be particularly burdensome on the youth and low-income along with other underrepresented communities.
By limiting these disruptions by better providing menstrual products, America can better guarantee justice, assuring the future of the state’s working population. Research shows that 86% of people who menstruate have suffered at one time due to starting their periods unexpectedly in public, which proves that institutions being unprepared for these events is an unsustainable model. Within school settings, this kind of absence leads to significant educational performance gaps due to an interruption of focus techniques, which later affects the productivity of workers. HR 3614’s dedication to future laborers would allow the nation to exceed the productivity figures of the past.
The cost and scarcity of menstrual products impact certain populations inequitably. Following these values of data-driven equity, the current proposed bill would allow for socio-economic and gender equality among the most vulnerable populations of America. Ultimately, HR 3614 would provide for a more equitable distribution of menstrual products, regardless of income status, class, living situation, employment status, education level, or gender. For these reasons, HR 3614 is a critical step toward removing barriers for people who menstruate, especially those discriminated against for gender or income. Moreover, by efficiently investing in the future, America would be making a long-term commitment to equity.
It’s clear the goals are honorable, but we still have a ways to go to accomplish them. Smashing the patriarchy doesn’t happen overnight, but if you’re interested in ensuring these goals are met, SHA encourages you to use your voice in support of HR 3614. Some organizations to check out doing similar work include The Period Project, PERIOD., The Pad Project, Freedom4Girls, Dignity Period, I Support the Girls, and Helping Women Period. You can also participate in some local grassroots organizing by creating hygiene care kits for your local homeless shelters. Especially in these times, it’s critical we care for each other and uplift our own communities as we push for large-scale change.
By Emily Carriere