Periods Don’t Stop for Pandemics

A few weeks ago, I received an email from the Yale College Council asking students who completed their 14-day quarantines to help build Yale residential college community stockpiles of essentials, such as first aid supplies and menstrual products. This initiative provided supplies for students who were still required to remain in their rooms for the quarantine period. I thought about the three-month supply of menstrual products packed in my suitcase and wondered what I would have done if I did not have access to these essential supplies. How would I buy pads and tampons if I could not leave my apartment? This prompted me to ponder the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on how people who menstruate are accessing needed supplies.

Remember back in March, when pandemic-induced panic buying left behind barren grocery store shelves? Purchasing limits were placed on toilet paper rolls, hand sanitizer, and canned goods. But also: tampons, pads, and other menstrual products. Every day, according to the United Nations, some 800 million people around the world menstruate. For many people, this was their first time facing scarcity of these essential products.

For many others, the inability to obtain menstrual products — whether due to economic, cultural, or structural barriers — is not a new concept. More women than men live in poverty in the United States, and over the past few years “period poverty” has garnered more attention, leading to calls for free and accessible tampons and pads in public spaces. There are many barriers to buying menstrual products in the country, with most states placing sales tax on menstrual products. Labeled as luxury goods, they cannot be purchased with food stamps or through Medicaid.

Furthermore, studies like one from Washington University in St. Louis in 2019, demonstrate that menstrual hygiene products are basic necessities that many low income individuals lack. The researchers found that each month, one in five participants in their study could not afford to buy menstrual supplies, and 2/3 of those surveyed had struggled to purchase such products at least once in the previous year.

In addition, study participants voiced concerns about the difficulty of managing a heavier flow, not having transportation to reach wholesale stores selling menstrual products at more affordable prices, and general safety, security, and sanitation issues in accessing toilet facilities.

For such individuals, lacking access to necessary supplies undermines their sense of dignity and ability to wholly participate in society.

Obtaining hygienic menstrual supplies is especially difficult for individuals whose financial burdens are exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Product shortages on store shelves and increased demand for free menstrual supplies provided by nonprofit groups to under-resourced communities have meant that some people must choose between buying food for the week or purchasing menstrual supplies.

As we continue to struggle with the far-reaching impacts of the global pandemic, the burden of period poverty will fall on the most vulnerable in our population, including homeless and incarcerated individuals. Recent data released by the United Nations project the poverty rate of women will increase by 9.1 percent as a result of the pandemic, making it even harder for people to meet their need for menstrual products. In addition to gender pay gaps, the increased burden of childcare, and occupational segregation, the exacerbation of period poverty must be included in our understanding of COVID-19’s impact.

Menstrual products are not a luxury. Menstrual health and hygiene are — and should be treated as — basic rights across America.