In communities across the UK and worldwide, a silent crisis continues to unfold. Period poverty – the inability to afford basic menstrual products – affects millions, forcing difficult choices between essential needs like food and period supplies.
Despite nearly 30 percent of the population having periods, this fundamental health issue remains overlooked, largely due to the persistent stigma that keeps discussions about periods behind closed doors.
The statistics paint a stark picture: one in five women in the UK struggle to afford period products. For many, this means missing work or school, using makeshift alternatives like toilet paper or worn clothing, or wearing products longer than recommended. Among homeless people, the situation is even more dire, with many having to choose between period products and their next meal.
The monthly cost of periods creates an insurmountable barrier for those living in poverty. This financial burden is compounded by the “tampon tax”. While the UK abolished this tax in 2021, the pricing of products remains prohibitively expensive for many households, especially as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.
Low-income families with multiple menstruating members face high costs, creating impossible budgeting scenarios. As one teenager shared with the charity Bloody Good Period: “My mum has to choose between feeding us properly and buying pads for my sister and me. I’ve started using toilet paper so she only has to buy for one of us.”
Recent communication campaigns have begun acknowledging the economic dimension of the period stigma. Arsenal Football Club’s initiative goes beyond normalising period talk in sports by including donations of products to schools in underprivileged areas, recognising that participation in sports requires both cultural acceptance and physical access to necessary supplies.
While Bodyform’s “Never Just a Period” campaign brilliantly challenged visual taboos, their parallel commitment to donating over 200,000 packs of sanitary products annually demonstrates an understanding that awareness must be coupled with tangible support.
But there is so much more to be done to tackle this systemic problem.
Higginson Strategy’s pro-bono campaign, Empower, recognises that donations alone are not enough to end period poverty. Our campaign calls on the UK government to follow in Scotland’s footsteps and provide free period products in all workplaces and public buildings in the rest of the UK.
We proudly work with Bloody Good Period, a charity that directly addresses this economic crisis by delivering over 100,000 period products monthly to refugees, asylum seekers, and those who cannot afford them, while advocating for systemic change.
While there are many great advocators in Parliament, so far, the issue of period poverty has remained low on the Government’s agenda. Meanwhile, millions of people in the UK are burdened with period costs.
This is a health crisis that deserves funding and accessibility. Besides, if loo roll is free and available in public buildings, why aren’t tampons and pads?