When Elesia Grover When she thinks about the poverty of that time, she remembers one particular family. She is a single mother with three daughters. Although the girls' menstrual cycles were synchronized, only one of them had parents who could afford sanitary products. The girls took turns on each menstrual day, with one going to school and the other two staying at home.
“I can only imagine what that feels like for the parents,” said Glover, a poverty advocate from her time in Charlotte. “Think about the academic aspects as well. What does that mean for a student who misses an entire day of class because they don't have access to very basic hygiene needs?”
The cost of menstrual products adds up, and menstruating women can spend about $6,000 over their lifetime on menstrual products such as tampons, pads, and menstrual cups. My 2 out of 5 women have a hard time purchasing these products. Education costs will also increase. One in five American girls misses school because of lack of access.
North Carolina law classifies menstrual products as non-essential. Medical items that men don't need seem to be seen as little luxuries in life. For someone on their period, that's enough to bang their head against the nearest wall. If you don't already have one, ask others how often they don't “splurge” on tampons and pads just for fun.
This specification has implications. As an example, states impose taxes on tampons and pads, as opposed to “real” medical necessities like toilet paper. North Carolina collects more than $8 million annually from taxes on these items. Limited time products are considered “junk items” and cannot be purchased through WIC or SNAP. Furthermore, there are no vintage items in public school bathrooms. The state provides school funding for menstrual products, but it's usually enough to last only a few months each year. Due to limited availability, they are often kept in the front office or nurse's office.
While advocates lobby lawmakers for changes (check out North Carolina's Menstrual Parity for All Act), others are coming up with solutions. Glover started Posh Pack last year, which donated 25,000 pads to Charlotte-area schools, including Mallard Creek High School, Eastway Middle School, Galinger High School and Northridge Middle School. “I have yet to meet a nurse at Charlotte Mecklenburg's school who said she didn't need a nurse,” she says.
In addition to raising money, Glover raises awareness of period poverty as an economic, educational, and public health issue. If girls do not have adequate access to sanitary products, they may use sanitary products, or rags, socks, paper towels, etc., for longer than intended, leading to infections and rare but life-threatening bacterial complications. may cause toxic shock syndrome. infection. Or, like the three sisters, they might just miss a few days of school each month.
“If schools can provide free or reduced-price lunches and provide meals and comprehensive care to help students focus on class, they should also provide access to basic hygiene necessities.” says Grover.
Another nonprofit fighting period poverty is Period Project NC, run by Cary High School seniors Rose Rosaleen and Sarah Pazokian. These ambitious doctors are raising money and awareness to install napkin dispensers in girls' bathrooms in schools across the state. We have volunteers stocking East Mecklenburg High School and are seeking ambassadors and donations to support additional schools.
“When I talk to administrators, I often get asked what happens if a student accidentally uses a dispenser and takes too much product,” Pazokian says. “But I think that's the whole reason we bring products into schools. … If you don't have products available for you or your sisters or your mother at home, you're free to take as many products as you want. ” The girls will begin a two-week trial at each school to show administrators how it works. All schools were happy to keep the dispensers.
Even more than economically disadvantaged students find bathroom dispensers helpful. It's not uncommon to need a period piece when it's not nearby, but Pazokian and Rosaleen don't want their students to miss class when that happens. (As a teenager, I would have preferred death over walking to the front office for tampons.) “There's a common misconception that vintage clothing is a luxury item,” says Rosaleen. “Financial needs are very important, but they are also very basic needs that almost every girl has.”
What about the three sisters who take turns going to school? After a social worker alerted Grover to the need, PoshPak provided supplies long enough to keep all three in stock year-round. “Let's get them back to school,” Grover said. “That's the way it should be.”