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Australia’s cost of living crunch has caused more than half of the country’s menstruating population to forgo basic period products and resort to makeshift solutions.
According to 2024 Bloody Investigation The world’s largest study on menstruation surveyed more than 153,000 people, with three in five (64%) finding it difficult to afford menstrual products, leaving many to turn to low-cost alternatives.
The study found that when household affordability rises to a certain level, tampons and sanitary pads (costing an average of $15 per month) are the first items ticked off the shopping list, while expenses such as food and rent are prioritized, leading to “period poverty.”
Shared DignityThe charity that carried out the research defines period poverty as a lack of access to menstrual products, sanitation, waste management and education.
The problem disproportionately affects people without stable employment, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, rural residents, Indigenous communities, people with disabilities and gender diverse people.
Rochelle Courtney, founder of Shared Dignity, called on the government to take the issue more seriously.
“No one should go without these basic necessities, but it’s worryingly widespread,” she told AAP.
“Some people use tea towels or carrier bags to try to deal with their periods with dignity, which is unacceptable in Australia.”
In rural areas, 24.3% of menstruating women have to use temporary menstrual products due to cost, while in urban areas, the proportion is 18.7%. This includes the use of items such as toilet paper, socks and spare pieces of cloth.
Ahead of the inquiry, Ms Courtney said low access to menstrual products was an “unspoken poverty” and that girls, women and non-binary people often did not seek help.
The study found that this reluctance is caused by barriers such as social shame and stigma, as well as gaps in early education about menstruation.
Huge toll on the workplace
The impact of period poverty is not limited to the individual.
Half (56%) of employed respondents reported missing work due to their period, costing the Australian economy $9.6 billion each year.
(The calculation is based on median female earnings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and does not take into account gender-diverse groups.)
Ms Courtney said the problem could be alleviated to some extent by providing sanitary products in the workplace.
“We need businesses to make menstrual products free so we can increase productivity and remove this huge burden on the economy,” she said.
“Why don’t you provide menstrual products in the bathroom? It’s a very low-cost solution… (people) will be able to work effectively, and we all want that.”
Support staff, retail workers, cleaners and customer service representatives have been hardest hit.
The report said occupations most affected by period poverty paid less than other professions and were often feminised care work.
Women make up the largest portion of Australia’s paid and unpaid support workforce, working in roles that are often undervalued and insecure.
Indigenous people are overrepresented among victims of violence
The bloody survey found that more higher education students used menstrual products this year compared to 2021, and 68% missed sports due to their periods.
Tasmania had the highest rate of period poverty at about 10 per cent, while the Australian Capital Territory had the lowest rate at 6 per cent. These respondents could not afford period products.
But in all states and territories, the proportion of respondents who said they had difficulty affording the product but still bought it was over 60 per cent.
Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and gender diverse communities had difficulty accessing care at a rate much higher than the national average, at 83 per cent, while people with a disability or chronic illness had difficulty accessing care at 78 per cent.
About 21 per cent of Indigenous Australians were unable to afford menstrual products in the past 12 months, compared with just 6.9 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians.
People who experienced some form of violence (domestic violence, family violence, or relationship violence) also reported higher rates of menstrual poverty than those who did not experience such violence.
One participant stated: “I was in a violent controlling relationship where he had my bank cards and controlled my money.”
“I used to open the packaging of sanitary pads or tampons in the shops and if I felt it was useless to take the whole pack, I would steal individual products from it. I was very lonely and had no one to turn to for help.”
82% of domestic violence victims report difficulty purchasing products due to cost.
Acquire and educate on key solutions
Sanitary pads and tampons are already available for free in many public places across Australia, but the report stresses that this service needs to be expanded.
This is an improvement from the last survey in 2021, with every state and territory now requiring public high schools to provide free menstrual products.
However, universities, TAFEs and hospitals have no such obligation.
“In public hospitals across Australia, bandages, pain relief and incontinence aids were available, but not menstrual products,” the report states. “Respondents in every state and territory in Australia did not have access to menstrual products in hospital.”
The ACT passed the Menstrual Products and Facilities (Access) Bill last year, becoming the first jurisdiction in Australia to enshrine free menstrual products into law.
Locations designated as access areas include public schools, tertiary training centres, public libraries and other ACT Government agencies and designated community service providers.
Victoria has also pledged to 700 locations across the statewhich will be implemented this year.
Shared Dignity said more action was needed at all levels of government – federal, state and local.
Furthermore, the charity believes that removing the stigma around menstruation is key to reducing menstrual poverty so people can seek help when they need it. Talking about menstruation with people of all genders can start from a young age.
Share the Dignity has dozens of pad and tampon digital vending machines across the country. View their map here.
The “Big Bloody Survey” is conducted every three years to monitor the physical, social and economic impacts of menstruation and whether rates of menstrual poverty are improving.
ABC/AAP
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