Advocacy

To whom it may concern, I am on my period. Yup I said it out loud. Why? Because it is natural and there shouldn’t be any shame about it. There also shouldn’t be any period poverty. We believe being able to access sanitary products is fundamental to equality, dignity and rights for all people who menstruate. In a society as wealthy as Alberta, no-one should have to suffer the indignity of not having the means to meet their basic needs. Period poverty is real, and it is a Canadian problem. One-third of Canadians under the age of 25 who menstruate struggle to buy enough products every month. It is a truly invisible form of poverty. At its most basic level, period poverty is economic conditions where it is difficult or impossible for individuals to buy menstrual products. To put it more simply, it’s prioritizing food over tampons, housing over pads and the dozens of other decisions made to survive in the face of punishing deprivation. It is estimated that Canadian’s spend up to $6,000 in their lifetime on menstrual hygiene products (Craggs, 2018). Understandably, low-income women and women on social assistance find it difficult to allocate money towards this necessity. How can you help? When you enter a public washroom, you do not pay for toilet paper. Likewise, No Period Without. wants to see free, universal access to menstrual products in schools and public facilities. Let’s begin a broader discussion about women’s health and menstruation. Together, we can end period poverty. Contact Scarlet Bjornson at scarlet@noperiodwithout.com to start the conversation.