Period poverty knows no boundaries, impacting those of all ages and races, times and places. However, the problem has been especially prevalent for young girls- in the midst of being hit with the challenge of learning how to navigate menstruation; period poverty and stigmas then go in for the double punch. Plan International UK found ‘more than a third of girls aged 14-21 in the UK have struggled to afford or access menstrual products during the pandemic – up one fifth on the previous year. This is equivalent to over one million girls’. The pandemic and cost of living crisis has wiped away any drops of hope left. For more on this topic, click here to read our previous article.
But this is all kept hush hush, with period stigma suggesting our struggles should be hidden. An Instagram survey by PhD student Alana Munro, in Sydney, Australia revealed that ‘70% said their period impacted their school, university or work attendance but only 28% told their teacher, lecturer or employer that they were absent because of their period’. The significant gap in these statistics illustrate taboo’s tight grip upon us.
Period activism knows no boundaries too.
We spoke to Kate, president of Once a month, a society at the University of Nottingham, who as students themselves, are working to overcome menstrual stigmas and fight period poverty.
Kate joins us today to shout about these secrets and celebrate their work to spread sanitary supplies to support menstruators across the UK, in particular in Nottingham.
“We are Once a month! It was founded in Manchester, but now it has started to progress into different Universities. What we do is work to reduce the stigma around periods, as they shouldn’t be a taboo subject but instead, something that people need to talk about more.”
“We are trying to end period poverty, because we personally believe that period products should be free, and they are a necessity for a lot of people in society. So, we raise money through different fundraising events, and we use that money to buy period products for those who can’t afford them. We then take the period products and give them to different charities in Nottingham, so then they distribute them to the people in need.”
Kate explains her motivation and purpose driving her work is that periods are already a burden upon menstruators and should not be a financial burden too, especially due to the cost-of-living crisis. She adds that, “I think mainly for me, the reason why I do it is because I want everyone to have equal opportunities in life. Having a period is a biological thing, many people get it, and you can’t stop that from happening. So, I don’t want that it to be something that does not allow women to progress and achieve their goals.”
We discussed the importance of empowering women. Kate shared that while they do not have the opportunity to work directly with the individuals that the products reach, the donations that Once a month provide uplift the women through the wide range of charities they interact with.
“Most recently we donated 100 bags to Nottingham Women’s Centre and we also donated 100 bags to Nottingham Souprunners, another student-led charity combatting homelessness, and this was a good initiative which opened up the reach of our products.”
However, she also stressed how they work to uplift women through communication about period stigma, and the importance of “just talking about it. They don’t have to feel embarrassed if they can’t afford period products.” Kate explained that the key focus of their Instagram platform is working to discuss the topics which some people might be disgusted by openly, and provide accessibility and comfort.
Furthermore, empowerment is not only a priority for Once a month for the women receiving the sanitary supply, but also within their team during the time spent packing the period product packages. “It does create a sense of solidarity between all of us because we’re all working together to help those who can’t afford them in areas of Nottingham.”
By listening to Kate, I immediately felt that they are standing together for this initiative, and they are strongly acting upon the same set of beliefs that makes them stronger as a group.
“We all have the same thoughts about period products, and we all believe that they should be free, and we all have this same initiative to act upon it. So, it makes us able to talk about the issues and comfortable as a group of people.”
Looking at the government’s previous plans to enable free period products in healthcare, schools and public facilities, and how the plan’s progress was paused with access becoming restricted due to the pandemic, Kate discussed the implications of this. She explained how it was recognisable for menstruators, but also for charities like Once a month. She described that the sudden lockdown and closing of facilities was “jeopardising” and its impact overlooked; not only affecting those who already found period product access difficult, but also causing a rapid increase and affecting more people. Therefore, “Once a Month was born!”
However, Kate explained that the number of people relying on the donations was imbalanced by the donations they receive and what they were able to afford themselves as students.
“How I manage it (Once a month), is emailing at least five charities, on a first come first serve basis”. Kate voiced the struggle that as they are a student-led organisation they cannot provide as many period products as they would like to.
She expressed that the “first come first serve basis” strategy is a clear indication of the high request for period products (by charities and more recently food banks) and as Kate has highlighted “not a student’s job”. The Government should invest in providing period products for free, especially to those women in more vulnerable positions. However, the job done by Once a Month, and many more student-led organisations is an example of how younger generations are clearly fighting to support people in need.
We continued to discuss how stigmas teamed up with period poverty; as ‘71% of girls said that they felt embarrassed when buying period products’. Therefore, it is not only a financial struggle but a mental one too- holding menstruators back due to their reluctance to reach out.
Kate expressed that within the chain of people involved, she doesn’t get to interact as much with the individuals receiving and using the products, yet she agrees that this is a significant issue. However, she suggests that there “is an awareness in society for women wanting to listen and understand more about periods” and as a result work is being done to make the topic “less of a taboo.” For example, “Nottingham Women’s Centre does lots of events about menopause and promoting/ talking about periods.”
We continued to discuss the extent of period poverty and stigma, with Kate raising an important point regarding our outlooks and the future. She stressed that “I do think it is massively stigmatised. It’s more talked about more now, but I still think that there is much more that could be said about period poverty: it could be in the news much more and highlighting the issue.”
Furthermore, of the 1.8 billion people globally who menstruate, 500 million, 25%, are affected by period poverty. Within the UK ‘nearly one in eight women (12%) in Great Britain have struggled to buy menstrual products in the last six months’. Kate highlighted this issue and emphasised the reality that many seem to be unaware of, explaining that “initially, it was very much a problem that belonged to other countries and personally, I don’t really think that they highlight the problem as much in our own country”. She stressed that while the UK is in a privileged position, the government and the news dismiss that it is a global issue, that includes England.
Something we can all relate to is the dominance of period stigma in school. Kate and I shared our experiences and reflected on the fact that,
“I always remember when I was in high school, the girls always used to put on the hand dryers, so you didn’t hear anyone getting out sanitary towels. At the time it was almost a standard thing for girls to do, and I look back at it now and I don’t understand why I did it, because it’s literally a way of life and girls have almost been constructed by society to feel embarrassed by it and it’s something that they have to hide”.
“I also did an event with NSTV (Nottingham Student’s Television), where they asked boys around the university different period questions and the boys didn’t understand. I think one of the questions was ‘what is the average amount of tampon you use in a period?” The answer is between 18-20, “but some of the boys were like ‘I think probably 2’!”
Kate explained that the reason for this lack of knowledge and awareness is because “it is not that vocal in society. Even though it might not affect boys, it still is something they should be knowing about.”
Knowledge and awareness are key priorities of Once a month as they explained that they also use their Instagram not only to break the stigmas, but also as an open environment where “if anyone has any questions, like ‘what reusable products can I use?’” they can address, educate themselves and explore the statistics.
“At Once a month we are fighting against period poverty, and we want to make periods more normalised because they are a natural thing that all girls experience“.
This demonstrates the lack of awareness about menstrual needs, how misconceptions are distorting individuals’ views about periods and limiting people’s understanding. This lack of education is therefore not only apparent among non-menstruators, such as how many tampons are used during a period, but also among women themselves, for example as Kate mentioned, the ins and outs of reusable period products. We continued to discuss the potential of these sustainable alternatives in overcoming period poverty, considering all the doubts and stigmas around cleanliness and the impact on hygiene poverty.
Kate explained that the sustainable products are a great alternative to aid the environment and provide long term benefits economically. She shared how Once a month were able to distribute bamboo sourced period products within their donation packages. As a result, for those in a privileged position, a way to play your part in not only being environmentally conscious but also in the fight against period poverty, could be to be mindful about the products you personally use. Therefore, as they become more mainstream, awareness about their demand and price is spread.
However, we continued to debate the issues that surround sustainability. Due to the conscious creation and mindfulness about the material they are made from, they often come with a higher price tag, which is not ideal in the period of poverty crisis. Additionally, there is the important distinction between ‘sustainable’ and ‘reusable’ period products. While reusable period products are also an economic alternative, Kate and I shared the concern about how they may not be suitable for everyone’s preferences, for example regarding internal or external period protection but also regarding the cost-of-living crisis and hygiene poverty.
Kate stressed that “A lot of the time people seem to dismiss the fact that these products need to be washed […] and they need to have the right levels of hygiene” Therefore, in cases where access to boiling water, clean facilities and hygiene supplies are missing these products are not a safe option.
Alongside their silent studying in the library, the students from Once a month, are shouting our needs and views from the rooftops to aid girls from missing out on school due to their period. They have demonstrated their passion and dedication to dismantle period poverty and destigmatize our perceptions of menstruation. Going forward, efforts from the government are needed, recognizing the locality of period poverty and the significant impact it is having upon everyone but specifically the younger generation. However, we too should work to adopt Once a month’s empowering attitudes and actions, and work to teach ourselves and each other about our bodies and needs, so periods will not hold us back from our education.
